


Thirteen Weeks, Ninety One Days

by ChibiEdoKun



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Family, M/M, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-04-02 07:09:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4050904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiEdoKun/pseuds/ChibiEdoKun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone says it gets better, but how could he move on without her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Should've Been There...

Edward sighed as he pulled into the heavily crowded parking lot, _'Damn,'_ he thought as he began to search for an empty spot, _'get here early and it's still packed.'_

He spotted an empty space, hidden in the far back row. It would be a bit of a walk, but it was better than parking across the street like he had done in the past. Pulling into the spot, Edward pulled his keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car. Locking the silver vehicle as he began to walk towards the building.

Their was still twenty minutes until the school day was officially over, so Ed was in no rush. He slowly walked towards the entrance, surrounded by other parents mingling about and hyperactive younger siblings running around the pavement. He let out another sigh as he walked towards his usual spot near the short iron gate, leaning against it as he began to wait. He watched as the other parents socialized, _'Probably bragging about how well little Jimmy is doing at baseball.'_ Edward thought, snickering slightly.

“Something funny?”

Edward jumped slightly, the deep voice startling him as he broke out of his thoughts. He turned towards the voice, seeing a dark haired male standing beside him.

“I don't believe I've seen you here before.” The man said with a warm smile, “Are you new to the district?”

Edward nodded slightly, “Just moved here a month ago..” he said, his voice soft.

Taking in his appearance, he found he was quite a bit taller than Ed was. With shaggy black bangs hanging across his forehead and deep sapphire eyes to match. His light skin contrasting against his dark features, but like yin and yang the dark and light mixed together nicely. 

“It's a great school.” The man said, “My boys have gone here since kindergarten.” A smile spread across his lips as he turned towards Edward, “My name's Roy, by the way.” He said, extending his hand out towards Edward in a friendly manner.

“Edward.” Ed replied, shaking Roy's hand politely before shoving his hand back into his pocket.

“Nice to meet you Edward.” Roy said, “So what grade is your kid in?”

At the thought of her, Edward's face broke into a wide grin. “Kindergarten, yours?”

“Second.” Roy said, a proud grin spreading across his lips. “They're getting so big.”

“Are they twins?” Edward asked, noticing how Roy only mentioned one grade level.

“Yup, two little trouble makers.” Roy said with a smirk, “They sure know how to raise hell for me.”

Edward chuckled, “Yeah, mine's a little spitfire too.” Edward said, “My brother always tells me how she's just like me.”

The two chuckled before falling into an awkward silence.

“So why'd you move up here?” Roy asked suddenly.

Edward remained silent for a few moments, “My wife...” Edward started, stumbling a tad, “She recently passed away..”

Roy's eyes softened, “I'm so sorry.” he said, his voice soft and laced with concern.

Ed let out a shaky sigh as his eyes darted towards his shoes. “It was too hard, staying in that house with all the memories of her.” He said, his voice trembling slightly. “My brother offered to let me move in with him for awhile, so I took it.”

Roy was silent for a moment, “My wife passed away a few years ago.” He said softly, “I know how it is, it's hard to go on without her.” Roy said, pausing for a minute. “But I had to, the boys were so little at the time.”

“How long has it been, since she..?” Edward asked, leaving out that _awful_ word that was just so hard to say.

Roy got a sad look in his eyes, gazing off in the distance for a few moments before replying. “It's been about five years now..” Roy said, his voice soft. “How long has it been for you?”

Edward was quiet, a deep breath pressing through his lips before he spoke. “Three months.” Edward said, the words slow and his tone soft. _'Thirteen weeks, ninety one days, two thousand one hundred and ninety one hours without her..'_ Edward thought, _'Three months of pure hell.'_

“I'm sorry,” Roy said, “You must be going through hell right now.”

Edward nodded, “It's hard, cause I gotta keep it together for the kid.” Edward said. “She can't see her Daddy fall apart.”

“It was hard for me too.” Roy said. “Their were two of them and one of me, and I had to try to keep myself together while figuring out how to be a single parent.”

“My brother has been a big help to me.” Edward said. “He's just willingly stepped in to help raise his niece, it's like Full House just without Joey.” Edward said, chuckling.

Roy let out a laugh, “Good one.” He said, smiling. “My best friend has helped me a lot, his daughter is just a few months older than my boys.”

“So you got Joey and I have Uncle Jesse.” Edward said, a smirk spreading across his lips.

“Well, he doesn't live with me.” Roy said, a string of laughter escaping his lips. “But he is pretty annoying at times.”

The bell suddenly rang, it's loud shrill sounding even outside. It surprised the two Dad's, jumping slightly as they turned to look for their little ones.

A flood of children broke through the doors, their small bodies squeezing through one another in an attempt to escape the building first. Edward watched as Mom's excitedly met their children, how they'd grab their little hands and guide them to the car to take them home. He felt a pang of sadness eat at his heart, the wounds were still so _raw. 'I should've had Al get her again..'_ Edward thought, _'This is just too hard..'_

“Edward.”

Ed turned at the sound of his name, seeing Roy still standing beside him. “Hm?” He mumbled in a reply, not trusting his voice now.

“I know it's hard right now, and all you want to do is lay in bed and just wallow in misery...” Roy trailed off, “But it does get better.”

Edward was about to give him a bitter rebuttal, how could he go on without _her_. Who could ever replace _her_? How the hell could he go on without his best friend? It was on the tip of his tongue-

“Daddy!”

At the sound of her voice he turned, watching as the little girl- _his little girl_ \- with golden blonde hair and sapphire eyes– that looked so much like _hers_ –sprinted towards him with open arms. Dropping to one knee, Edward enveloped the little girl in a big hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds before she excitedly pulled away. “I thought Uncle Al was going to pick me up,” She said, “but I'm _so_ happy you picked me up Daddy!”

Edward gave his daughter a big grin before turning to to Roy. “Roy, this is my daughter Annelise.” Edward said, “Annelise this is Daddy's new friend Roy.”

Annelise gave Roy a big smile, “Nice to meet you Mr. Roy.” She said in a polite manner.

Roy smiled, getting down to the kindergarteners level. “It's nice to meet you too, Annelise.” He said, “How old are you?”

Annelise held up four fingers with a wide grin, “Four!” She said happily.

“Wow, that's young for a kindergartener.” Roy said with a look of suprise.

“Daddy says I'm smart so I got to go to school early.” Annelise answered, giving Roy a toothy grin.

Roy smiled, getting up from the ground and looking back at Edward, “She's a doll.” Roy said.

“Thanks.” Edward said, beaming slightly. “She's a good kid, where are your boys?”

Roy shook his head, “Taking forever, as usual.” He said with a chuckle, watching as the doors opened and two little boys slithered out. “Ah, here they come now,” Roy said, “wonder what trouble they caused today.”

The two boys searched the crowd of parents, quickly spotting their Dad and sprinting across the concrete towards him. Wide grins spread across their faces as they met their Dad, “Daddy!” They cried. Dropping their lunch boxes as they hugged at Roy's legs.

Roy chuckled, “It's nice to see you too, boys.” Roy said, ruffling their raven colored locks. “Can you get your lunch boxes for me?” He asked.

The two boys nodded, releasing their Dad's legs and going to gather their lunch boxes.

Edward smiled, “Cute kids.” He said, “They look so much a like.”

“Thanks,” Roy said with a proud grin as he watched the boys. “It was hard to figure out who was who when they were babies, but after awhile it was easy to tell them apart.”

The boys came back, handing Roy their lunch boxes. “Thank you boys.” Roy said, “Now I want you to meet my new friends.” Putting a hand on each boys shoulder, Roy turned them towards Edward, “Boys, this is Edward and his daughter Annelise.” Roy said, “Edward, this is Lucas,” he tapped the little boy on the left, “and this is Roman, boys say hello.”

“Hello Mr. Edward.” The two boys said in unison, smiling at the adult.

Roy carefully got up from the ground, lunch boxes in hand. He was about to tell the boys to say hello to Annelise, but he quickly stopped, watching as the two boys walked towards the kindergartener.

“Hi.” The boys said in unison, friendly grins on their faces.

“Hi.” Annelise said, getting closer to the boys. Her voice was somewhat shy, but she sent them a friendly smile back.

“I'm Lucas.” The boy on the left said.

“I'm Roman.” The boy on the right said.

“I'm Annelise.” Annelise said, smiling as she played with her hair.

“Do you want to play tag?” Lucas asked.

"Sure!" Annelise said in an excited tone.

Roman grinned, moving forward and tapping on Annelise's shoulder. "Then your it!" He cried, throwing his backpack on the ground before running off towards the playground.

Lucas let out a snicker before throwing his backpack at Roy's feet before racing off after his brother.

Annelise just giggled, throwing her backpack to the ground and following the twins.

“Lucas! Roman!” Roy shouted, “I didn't say we could- oh god, I'm sorry.” Roy said, turning towards Edward.

Edward chuckled, picking up Annelise's backpack before turning to Roy. “It's alright, we're in no rush to get home.” Edward replied, “Plus it'll tire them out, then they can go to bed sooner.” Edward chuckled and grinned at the thought.

Roy nodded, gathering his sons backpacks and throwing them on his shoulder, “Good thing it's Friday.” He said.

Edward nodded, watching as his daughter excitedly went down the slide. Giggling as she slid into the mulch before quickly getting up and chasing after the boys – God, he couldn't tell which boy was which.

A few minutes had passed by, another awkward silence fell between the two parents as they watched their kids enjoy playing with one another.

“Our kids seem to get along well.” Edward commented.

“They do.” Roy said with a smile, “We should get together and do a play date or something one day.”

Edward turned towards Roy with a smile, “Annelise would enjoy that.” he said.

“You know,” Roy said. “We really seemed to hit it off too..”

Edward slowly nodded, “Yeah we did..”

“It's nice talking to someone who gets it.” Roy said. “Isn't it?”

Edward let out a sigh, “It is.” He replied, “You're the first person who hasn't given me the sugar coated sympathy speech, those just made me feel worse.”

“Those were the worst..” Roy mumbled, “All they say is how they're sorry and how it'll get better..” Roy groaned. “It never made me feel better.”

Edward nodded, “It's been really nice talking to you, Roy..”

“I've enjoyed talking to you too, Edward.” Roy said with a smile.

“...You can call me Ed, if you want.” Edward said with a shy smile.

“Well Ed, if you ever want our kids to have a play-date,” Roy said, pulling out a piece of paper and pencil from one of the boys backpack he scribbled a number down. “then give me a call.” he said, handing Edward the scrap of paper. “Or it could just be us, it's nice to get a break every once and a while.”

Edward took the sheet of loose leaf paper, eying the number scrawled out in messy penmanship. “Thank you.” Edward said, shoving the piece of paper in his pocket. “I really appreciate it Roy.”

Roy smiled, “It's no problem.” he said, suddenly hearing the sounds of screaming he quickly turned around, “Boys! You better be playing nice!” he shouted.

They were quiet for a minute, both parents watching their kids for a minute.

“Hey..” Roy started, “If you ever need to talk, you can always call or text me..” Roy said.

Edward smiled slightly, “Thank you.” He said, “Hey I'll talk to you later, I've got to get the kid.” Edward said, chuckling as he waved goodbye to Roy.

“Annelise!” Edward shouted as he walked towards the play equipment, “Annelise, it's time to go home!” He watched as the petite child waved goodbye to her new friends, smiling as she began to run towards her Dad. “Let's go home now sweetie!” Edward said, taking hold of the little girls hand as they began to walk towards the car in the near empty parking lot.

“Daddy, can I play with Lucas and Roman again?” Annelise asked they reached the car.

“Well, Mr. Roy and I were thinking you guys could have a playdate one day.” Edward answered as he unlocked the car. Opening the back door before picking the four year old up and placing her in her car seat. “Can you buckle yourself up?” Edward asked, Annelise nodded and Edward watched her to make sure she did it correctly.

After Annelise was all buckled up, Edward shut the door and made his way to the drivers seat. Starting the car up, Edward began to exit the parking lot and make his way home.

The car ride was near silent, Annelise quietly entertained by her thoughts. Not speaking until they were approaching a stoplight.

“Daddy?” She asked quietly.

“What sweetie?” Edward asked, eyes focused on the road.

“Are you and Mr. Roy gonna have a playdate.” Annelise asked innocently.

Edward slammed hard on the breaks, inches away from the stop light. “W-What?” Edward asked, started at such a question. “No, Annelise where would you get such an idea?”

Annelise gave him an innocent look, “You and Mommy used to go on playdates..” she answered, her voice soft.

Edward let out a long drown out sigh, “Sweetie, playdates aren't the same as the dates Mommy and I went on..” Edward answered, watching as the light went green he speed across the street. _'You're almost home, just try to make it home.'_

“Daddy..” Annelise said, her voice softer than usual.

“What?” Edward asked, his mind focused on making it home.

“I miss Mommy..” Annelise answered, her voice near tears.

_Thirteen weeks, ninety one days, two thousand one hundred and ninety one hours.._

“I miss her too, sweetie.” Edward said, trying to keep his voice from breaking. _'You can do it Edward, keep it together for her...'_

_'That's all you can do, keep it together for her..'_

 


	2. Swimming Against the Current

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm held captive by the hole inside.

\------

Al's house, he could see it. They were almost there, the drive way was right in front of him. He slowly pulled in the drive way, he was so close to making it to the safety of his bedroom. Parking the car, Edward got out of the driver's seat, shutting the door as he made his way to Annelise. Unbuckling her from her car seat, Edward picked her up and shut the door. They were almost at the front door..

“Daddy?” Annelise said, absentmindedly fiddling with her fathers ponytail.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Edward asked, unlocking the front door. Wiping his feet before bringing himself and his daughter into their temporary home. Closing the door behind him, he placed Annelise on the floor as he took his jacket off.

Al smiled as he poked his head out of the kitchen, “Welcome back, Brot-”

“When do I get to see Mommy again?” Annelise asked innocently, interrupting her Uncle's greeting.

Edward looked at his young daughter like he'd seen a ghost, surprised at the sudden question three months after her Mother's death. Edward looked up quickly, looking at his brother for support. Al quickly made his way into the living room, ready to intervene if he needed too. Edward was just so damn determined to not have Annelise see him cry...

“Annelise..” Edward started, getting down to her level. “We've talked about this, Mommy's not coming back..” 

“But I can see her again, right?” Annelise asked, her eyes hopeful. It hadn't truly set in yet, it wasn't finalized in her mind.

Edward was trying so hard right now, Al could see it. This was hard for him, to tell his four-year old over and over again that Mommy was not coming back. Annelise just didn't understand..

“No sweetie, Mommy's gone..” Edward answered quietly, his voice filled to the brim with emotion.

Annelise just remained silent, her lips forming into a frown and beginning to quiver 

Edward let out a shuddering breath, “Excuse me.” He said quickly, slowly making his way back to the guest room that was now his bedroom.

Annelise turned towards her Uncle, “What's wrong with Daddy?” She asked, concerned.

Al gently sat the girl on his knee, “This is a really hard time for your Daddy, he really misses your Mommy right now.”Al answered. Slowly, he pulled his little niece into his arms and held her close.

“I miss Mommy too..” Annelise said sadly, burying her face in her Uncle's shoulder.

“I know sweetie, we all do.” Al said, cradling the little girl in his arms.

This was hard for all of them, but Al knew no one hurt like Edward did..

\------

“Damn it all!” Edward cursed as he slammed the bedroom door, collapsing on to his bed. Lifting up his pillow, he gently picked up the picture of his late wife. It was his favorite picture of her, taken at the beach when they were on their honeymoon. Her long blonde stands flowing in the wind, bright blue eyes sparkling in the sun. She looked absolutely stunning..

“How could you do this to me?” Edward asked, his voice quiet and broken. “How could you just leave me all alone!” 

He stared at the picture, taking in the face of his beautiful wife... “How can I do this without you?” He asked, his voice trembling as he spoke, “How can I raise our daughter alone?” 

He ran his fingers across the picture, imagining he was running his fingers through her silky blonde hair. Oh god, he missed her so much. “Three months without you and I feel like I'm _dying_.” Edward said in a low, somber tone. “I'm shit at this parenting stuff, poor Annelise has been goin' through hell.” He continued, “Everyone's goin' through hell without you, Win.”

A single tear rolled down his cheek, creating a glistening stream as it created it's trail. “I miss you so much Winry, I don't know how to do this without you..” Edward said, his tone broken as he ran his thumb across her cheek. Wishing he wasn't stroking the glossy print of a picture and that his wife was with him in the flesh.

_Thirteen weeks, ninety-one days, two thousand one hundred ninety-one hours, one hundred thirty-one thousand and four hundred eighty-seven minutes…_

“It's pure fuckin' hell laying here, watching life go one without you.”

\------

“Boys, I want you to go upstairs and start your homework.” Roy stated as he opened the front door. Walking inside the slightly stuffy house, the little boys following behind him. Shutting the door behind him, he took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack before kicking off his shoes and placing them by the door. 

“Okay, Dad.” They replied in unison. Following their Father's actions, they slowly took their shoes off and placed them by the door. Hanging up their light jackets next, before racing each other into the dining room to start their homework.

“ _Boys_ ,” Roy started in his stern, parenting tone. “how many times do I have to tell you, we do not run in the house.” 

The boys brushed him off, chattering away to each other as they emptied out their backpacks on the dining room table. 

Roy merely chuckled at their antics, shaking his head slightly as he made his way into the living room. Falling into the comfort of the couch, Roy thought over the events of the day and what he planned on making for dinner. He listened to his boys chatter away in the dining room, working together on their assignments and helping one another. 

He smiled, his boys were so good. He was so proud of them, he was lucky to have been given such wonderful little boys. He was lucky that was the last gift Riza ever gave him...

At the thought of Riza, Roy was reminded of his conversation with Edward earlier that day. The man who had just recently lost his wife and was still swimming in the sea of darkness. While Edward had never outright told him that he was still struggling, Roy could see it in the man. He was still trying to find peace with the unthinkable tragedy, still trying to swim against the current of loss and grief. 

Roy knew it all too well...

He had lost Riza all too soon, it was sudden and left Roy with a gapping hole in his chest that still had yet to be filled. The boys were all too little, they barely remembered their Mother and Roy hated that fact because Riza was such a wonderful Mother to their sons..

So lost in thought of his wife and how she was gone too soon, Roy didn't hear the sound of his young son calling for him. It wasn't until he felt a tiny hand grasp his own that he was awaken from his thoughts.

“Daddy?” It was Lucas, standing in front of him with his small hand wrapped around his Father's.

“I'm sorry,” Roy said, blinking slightly as he straightened up. “I just got lost in my thoughts,” he admitted, “what do you need, Lucas?”

Lucas was quiet for a moment, rubbing his thumb against the palm of Roy's hand. “You were thinking about Mommy.” Lucas said, it wasn't a question but a statement. As if the little boy was able to read his mind. 

Roy let a moment of silence pass before he spoke, a small, sad smile gracing his lips. “Yes I was...” He mumbled, it wasn't often that these moments of grief washed over him, as Riza had been gone for five years now. While it wasn't something that Roy liked, life had moved on at rapid speed without Riza..

Lucas gave Roy a sad look before climbing into his lap, burying his face the crook of Roy's neck as he latched on to his Daddy.

Roy took in this moment, where his son wanted the attention he normally shielded from. His boys were becoming more independent, and due to that moments like this were becoming more and more rare. Wrapping his arms around Lucas, he pulled the small boy close to him. “I love you, Daddy.” Lucas whispered, clutching on to the thick fabric of Roy's white button up.

“I love you too, Lucas.” Roy replied, kissing the top of Lucas's head.

“Luke (1), did Dad ever help you with that ma-” Roman's voice broke through the bonding moment the two were sharing. Looking up, Roy and Lucas saw Roman's head sticking out from the dining room with a concerned look on his face. 

“Is something wrong?” Roman asked, concerned as to why his Father looked sad.

“Dad was thinking about Mommy.” Lucas said, wrapping his arms around Roy's neck almost protectively. 

Roman gave Lucas a nod, before quickly making his way to the couch and latching on to his Father. Carefully, Roy scooped up his other son and brought him into his lap. Lucas made room for his brother, sliding to the side so that his twin had room. 

“Thank you, boys,” Roy said in a quiet tone that the twins rarely ever heard. “I love you both so much..”

\------

“Edward..” Al said quietly, knocking on the door ever so lightly. 

He was met with silence, as he had expected. 

Alphonse let out a sigh, rubbing his temples slightly. 

What was he going to do?

It had been three months since Winry died, two and a half months since Edward and Annelise moved in, and three months of hell in total. Everything was a mess, Edward was a total wreck and Annelise drifted between understanding what had happened and screaming for her Mother. And he...was stuck somewhere in-between, where the pain of her loss was there but it had to be shuffled aside to take care of the two who were suffering the most. 

The loss of Winry was still raw to all of them, adjusting to life without her was still in the developments and Edward was still in terrible pain without her..

It was worse than when their Mother had died, and they were all still a long ways away from recovering. 

“Uncle Al?” Annelise's small voice broke through.

Looking down he saw Annelise standing in front of him, her sapphire orbs filled with concern. “Yes, sweetie?” Al said, crouching down to her level.

“Is Daddy hurt?” She asked, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. 

“No,” Al answered, “Why do you think he's hurt?” 

“Because he keeps crying, like I do when I fall and get a boo-boo.” Annelise answered, “And Daddy says that sometimes when you get a really bad boo-boo you cry a lot.”

Al inwardly chuckled, Annelise was quite a bright child. “Well,” Al started, “I guess you could say your Daddy has a really bad boo-boo, on his heart.” 

“Can you put a band-aid on it to make him feel better?” Annelise asked, thinking about the brightly colored band-aids they had just gotten at the store.

Al shook his head sadly, oh how he wished it was that simple. “No sweetie, this is the type of boo-boo that only time will fix.” He answered simply.

Annelise stood in silence for a moment, taking all the information in. “Well can I see Daddy?” She asked quietly, twiddling her fingers slightly.

“I don't know about that, honey..” Al answered, thinking about how Edward was probably curled up in his bed. Holding on to a picture of Winry and lost in sea of darkness.

But Annelise ignored her Uncle's answer, pounding her tiny fist on the door. “Daddy!!” She cried. “Daaadddy!”

Al didn't know what to do, Al knew that Edward was determined to not have Annelise see him a mess but what was he to do when she needed him?

It was then when Al turned the door knob very quietly, watching as the door slowly creaked open. Annelise, who stood in front of the slightly cracked doorway, looked up at Alphonse for a sign that it was ok to go. Al nodded and watched as Annelise slowly tiptoed into her Father's dimly lit bedroom, peering at the form of her Father wallowing underneath the covers.

The small child quickly padded her way over to the bed, climbing up she slid underneath the thick comforter and snuggled up against her Father's form. Edward's body stiffened at the feel of a small body nestled up against his own.

Looking down, he saw Annelise cuddled up against his stomach. Her sapphire orbs locked on him, a worried look glazed over her features. “Lisie (2), what are you doing in here?” Edward asked, his voice was soft and sad. He pulled the small child close to him, wrapping his arms around her lithe body.

“You've got a boo-boo on your heart.” Annelise said, “You always make me feel better when I get a boo-boo, so I'm going to make you feel better.” 

Edward felt a small smile tug at the ends of his lips, Annelise was truly a wonderful child. “You're so sweet, baby.” Edward mumbled, kissing her forehead softly. “I feel better already.” 

It was a lie, a total and utter _lie_. 

But he'd do anything to see Annelise smile. 

Watching that wide grin spread across his daughter's face was all he needed, to see that smile made everything better. 

Even this, it even made _this_ better.

\------

Well, hate the ending but I finally finished chapter 2!


	3. I'm a Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to pick myself up, piece by piece.

“Edward.” Al started, it was late in the evening and Annelise had already been put to bed over a half hour ago. Al had dragged Edward out of his room for dinner, telling him that he needed to set a good example for Annelise and eat at the table like their Mother had taught them. 

“What?” Edward asked, his voice was flat and uninterested. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, his eyes focused on the TV but he wasn't really watching the dull crime drama that was on.

Al was sitting on the loveseat nearby, a pen and paper in hand as he was working on something related to his job. “This can't keep going on.” Al said, twiddling the pen in his fingers. “We can't keep having this happen daily.”

“What do you mean?” Edward asked, turning his eyes away from the TV and to his younger brother.

“You wallowing away every day, spending your days being half alive and wasting away in bed.” Al said, lifting his head away from his work and placing a hard gaze on his older brother. “It's like I'm watching you _die_ , Ed.”

Edward started at him, looking at Al with a matching hard gaze. “Well, what do you expect me to do?” Edward asked, his voice void of any emotion. “My wife fucking _died_ , my whole life is in shambles Al.” 

“Edward, Winry died nearly four months ago.” Al said in a very somber tone, “It's time to start...” Al paused, thinking over his words carefully as he knew how touchy the subject was. “..moving forward..” 

Edward looked at Al liked he had sprouted two extra heads, “You want me to _move forward?_ ” Edward asked, his voice questioning and filled with annoyance. “My wife is _dead_ , Alphonse..” Edward started, “She is dead, and I have to wrangle a child all by myself who asks me nearly daily when she can she her Mother again, I have to muster up the courage to tell a four-year old that her Mother is dead and is never coming back.” Edward rambled on, “Hell, I have to find the courage every day to just get out of bed to make a damn cup of coffee, I have to watch life move on without the love of my _life_ , Alphonse...” Edward's voice started to tremble, “Do you know how hard that is?”

Alphonse was quiet, taking in all of what Ed had said and carefully thinking over his words. “No,” he answered truthfully, “but I know how hard it is watching my brother fade away.”

Edward didn't reply, so Alphonse kept on going. “It's bad enough that Winry, my sister-in-law who has been more like family to me since the day I was born, died. Do I have to watch you die too, Edward?” Al asked, his voice starting to shake. “Because for the last three months it's been like I lost both of you.”

Edward was struck silent, so Al continued. “Since moving in with me it's been like you died too, I've been raising Annelise. I've done all the things you should be doing Edward.” Alphonse started. “I've had to tell her what happened to Mommy and why she's not here, which is damn hard enough, but do you know how difficult it is to explain to her why you're not around?” Al continued, his voice raising slightly. “She stands by your door waiting for you each morning, hoping you will come out and be the one to make her breakfast or take her to school. She is _dying_ for your attention Edward but you've shut her out just like you've done me.” Al was on the verge of tears, he felt so worn down and exhausted with the life he's had to live for the last three months. “Every day you are breaking her heart, she's already lost one parent Ed, why are you making it like she lost both?” He cried out. “Why are you doing to her what Dad did to us?” Tears began to roll down Al's cheeks, he had spent everyday since the funeral putting his grief aside to play the role as Daddy to his niece and to be strong for his emotionally-fragile brother and now he was getting a chance to let that jar of emotion break open and lift the weight off his chest. 

And like that Edward felt like complete and utter _shit_. Making Al cry was one of the worst feelings possible, and guilt was pouring all over him. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...” Edward repeated over and over, throwing his head in his hands. Hating the fact that he put his brother through all of this..

But the feeling of Al wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a warm hug melted _some_ of that guilt away. “It's okay, brother.” Alphonse said softly, tears still streaming down his cheeks. “I just miss her, like we all do.” 

_'You'll never miss her like I do.'_ Edward thought with bitter sadness eating away at him as he buried his head in his little brother's shoulder.

\---

 _'Shouldn't be here, shouldn't be here.'_ Edward thought as he made his way to the back entrance of Annelise's elementary school to pick her up. He was early, once again. He didn't find a good parking spot, once again. _'Should've stayed home, should've stayed in bed.'_

But instead of turning and running for the safety and protection of his bed, Edward made his way up to the short iron gate and scanned the crowds of soccer moms bragging about their precious little angels and all of their achievements. _'Fuck Al for making me do this…'_ Edward thought, letting his face fall into his hands as pulled at the bags under his eyes trying to make himself feel alive. 

“Someone looks like hell.” A deep, silky voice interrupted his thoughts and brought Edward back into the land of the living. 

Turning his gaze, Edward saw Roy Mustang, the man he had met yesterday at pick-up time, approaching him. He inwardly groaned, he wasn't in the mood to socialize. 

“Hey.” Edward said meekly, brushing his bangs out his face before turning to face Roy.

“You alright?” Roy asked, giving the blonde a look of concern. “You look like death.” 

Edward let out a light, slightly forced, chuckle. “Thanks, really appreciate it Roy.”

Roy raised his eyebrow slightly, Edward's appearance concerned him. “So what's got you looking like you could drop at any moment?” He asked.

Edward let out a deep sigh, “My brother and I got into a... fight of sorts last night.” Edward answered, his tone soft and watery. “I don't like fighting with him, and I especially don't like the topic of the argument.”

“If it's not too personal, what exactly were you fighting about?” Roy asked, hoping he wasn't moving into forbidden territory. 

Edward let out another sigh, “He thinks it's time I start...” Edward paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath, “moving forward with my life..” 

'Oh.' Roy thought, inwardly grimacing. He knew that conversation all too well, thinking back to the one he had five years ago with his best friend. _'Get your ass in gear before the boys start calling me Daddy thanks to you never being around!'_ His best friends echoed in his mind, reminding him of how far he had come since then. 

“He wants me to get back to work, he says he's watching me waste away each day and it's like he lost me too...” Edward said in somber tone, running a hand through his bangs. 

“It's hard,” Roy replied with a soft sigh, “moving forward, returning back to a daily routine without feeling guilty for it all.” 

Edward nodded, “But Alphonse is _right_ , I need to get back to work.” Edward started, “I can't just live off Alphonse, and honestly I need to get out of the house more often.” 

“Well, let me know if you need help finding something.” Roy offered, “I wouldn't mind giving you a good word somewhere..”

Edward smiled slightly, “Thanks.” Edward replied, rubbing his temples slightly. “I'm not quite ready to go back to work but I can't wallow around forever, I need to set a good example for my kid because right now my brother is being more of a Father to her than I am.” Edward admitted sullenly, “I hate to say it, but it's true.”

Roy sighed, he remembered those days. “Loosing someone close to you when you have a small child is very difficult.” Roy started, “You are grieving but at the same time you have to be a parent and set a good example for your child, and you have to put your grief in the backseat as you care for your child and their pain.” 

Edward nodded, looking down at his watch to see that their was still ten minutes till the school day was over. “You know, it helps talking to you because you totally get it.” Edward said, “My brother understands my pain, sort of, but it's not the same unless you have been directly in that position.”

Roy smiled, “I'm happy to offer some help, I know all too well what it's like to be in your shoes.” 

Edward smiled, a real smile, before a shy-ish grin spread across his lips, “Maybe we could go get coffee or something sometime, you know, talk about something other than our woes..?” 

“That sounds lovely, maybe later this week?” Roy suggested, mentally going over his schedule trying to workout a day and time that would work for him.

“That sounds great.” Edward replied, “Um, should I text you a day and time that works for me?”

Roy grinned, “Sounds good to me.” He started, “After we figure that out, we can decide where to go.”

Edward nodded, “Okay.” He said, a small smile gracing his lips as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

Silence fell between the two, it was almost comforting to the blond. But for Roy it felt awkward, he felt like he needed to say more, to tell his new friend how happy he was at the idea of spending more time together and how he wanted to help him, just the same as his best friend did for him. Instead, he chose to bite his tongue. 

The minutes ticked by, and soon the faint echo of a bell came and the children began to eagerly sprint out the door. A grin began to spread across Edward's lips, he was excited to see Annelise. Alphonse had truly got through to him, he was missing out on so much of Annelise's life just wallowing around in his bed mourning. _'Why are you doing to her what Dad did to us?'_ Al's words were like a punch to the stomach. And, at the realization that Al was _right_ , Edward could feel his heart nearly break in two. Three months – thirteen weeks, ninety-two days, two thousands two hundred hours – had passed since Winry had gone and Edward has spent nearly half of that time laying in a bed and blocking out the outside world. Including his daughter, his beautiful and bright daughter had to endure the pain of loosing her Mother without her Daddy being someone she could lean on. 

He was so lost in thought that he hadn't notice Annelise sprinting towards him with a wide grin spread across her lips. Instead he felt the sudden latch of something grabbing on his legs, “Daddy!” an excited voice squealed. 

Jumping slightly, Edward looked down to find his daughter gripping onto his leg tightly. “Hi honey.” Edward said with a smile, leaning down to pick her up. Annelise latched her arms around her Father's neck, snuggling into his shoulder. “I didn't know you were picking me up again!” She excitedly exclaimed. 

“I'm glad to see you too, sweetheart.” Edward said with a warm smile spread across his lips. Annelise began to excitedly babble on about her day, 

Roy watched from afar, still waiting for his boys to come out. He watched as Edward's smile spread across his lips at the sight of his young daughter. Despite looking like death on two feet, looking like he could drop at any moment, he managed a cheerful demur for Annelise. It took him back to the days where he was in Ed's shoes, where he felt like he couldn't breath and the sight of a mere happy family made him run for the hills, well, more like run for the booze. Shaking his head slightly, trying to forget those days, Roy saw Lucas and Roman running towards him with wide smiles. 

“Daddy!” They cried, running towards him.

“Hi boys,” Roy said with a grin, meeting them halfway. “How was school today?”

As the began to ramble on about their day, Roy began to help them gather their things together.

“See you later Roy!” 

Roy turned to see a grinning – a bit slightly forced – Ed waving at him, Annelise still in his arms wearing a wide smile. “I'll be sure to text you tonight about lunch.” 

“Sounds good, have a good night Edward.” Roy said, waving goodbye. 

Watching as Edward walked to his car, a thought came to Roy's mind.

_'He's doing far better than I did…'_


	4. Hold Onto Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I loved, and I loved, and I lost you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks has past since chapter 3.

Edward woke up just as the sun was rising. Another restless night where he kept tossing and turning. Images of his beautiful wife haunted him, ghostly dreams that were so lifelike it was as if he could touch her. Only to try, and find himself waking up to the bitter reality of her being gone. Where he was so far gone that he would find himself close to screaming with guilt. His fingers gripping his skull so hard that he was sure he'd left bruises.

As he sat in the soft light of the rising sun, he thought over the last few weeks.

He'd been staying with Al for a little under six weeks now. Where he drifted between being productive being useless as the sorrow rendered him useless.

But he was trying, and _trying_ was all he could do.

He was spending more with Annelise, acting more like the Father he should've been in the wake of Winry's passing. He would pick her up from school, help her with homework.. And on good days, help get her ready for school. But those days had been few and far between.

Because it didn't do him any good to wallow around in bed, with Al raising his young daughter. So he'd try, he'd try like his Mother did when his Father left. Where she would rise out of bed with a smile, undeterred by how wrecked her heart was or how lost she must've felt. But his Mother was over a thousand times better than him, she was robust where he was feeble. Ed only wishes to be half as good a parent as she was.

In the rising light of the sun, Edward let the agony of losing his wife consume him at will. Letting the pain swallow him whole for just a _moment_ , so that when he rises he can go on. Go on without the baggage of emotion he always carries with him.

As dawn finally broke, and the sun began to rise. Edward rose from the bed. Wiping the tear stains from his cheeks, he walked away from the safety of his bed and began to get his day started.

* * *

Walking into the kitchen, Al was taken aback by seeing Ed sitting at the table. A cup of coffee in one hand and a thick packet of papers in the other. His brother was fully dressed and ready for the day, his hair was even braided! Something Al had not seen his brother do in a long, long time. “Brother!” Al started in an excited tone, “What are you doing up so early?”

“Couldn't sleep, just decided to get up and get it over with.” Edward answered, taking another sip of his coffee. “What time do I need to get Annelise up?”

Al didn't respond at first, he was just so surprised by Edward's sudden change. Edward was up and ready before seven, something that was unusual even before Winry's passing. “Uh, seven.” Al answered, slightly stumbling.

“Alright.” Edward answered, flipping the page of his packet. “Do I need to pack her a lunch?”

“If you don't want her eating the shit they serve in the cafeteria, then yeah.” Alphonse answered, taking a seat at the table he began to check his phone. Looking up, he see's that Ed's gaze has drifted back to the packet. It's thick, and Al can see that Edward is enwrapped in the the small black text that's printed across the paper. “What are you reading?” Al asked, resting his cheek in his hand as he let out a small yawn, still not quite awake.

“A new scientific study about the rising sea levels.” Edward answered swiftly, his eyes never leaving the paper.

“Thought you didn't like reading about environmental science?” Alphonse asked, a small smile playing way to his lips.

“Only study that we had enough paper to print.” Edward answered. “So I settled for it, since the other study was fifty pages long and we didn't have enough ink for that.”

“Well I'll just have to get more printer ink then.” Al said with a smile. Al was glad to see Edward up and on his feet without having to be practically pulled out of bed. And for him to be reading about science? This meant that Edward was slowly returning to his old self, getting back into the swing of things.

Edward's eyes drifted to the clock, finding it was almost six-thirty. He decided that it was time to start making Annelise's lunch. “Alright, so what's the kid like packed in her lunch?” Edward asked as he headed towards the pantry.

Opening the pantry doors, Edward met with a variety of familiar foods and brands. Being raised in the country the boys often ate homegrown food and rarely had any 'junk' foods. They both kept with these habits their Mother instilled in them. But, since Al lived in the city and didn't have room for a garden of fruits and veggies, he settled with the next best thing. Organic, _everything_.

“Hmmm, she likes peanut butter and jelly of course, but she also likes chicken and cheese sandwiches.” Al started, “She likes any of the fruits in the fridge and those cheese bunny crackers.”

“What do you usually pack her to drink?” Edward asked.

“Water.” Al answered with a smile. “Sometimes I give her juice, or milk, but I usually just pack her water.”

“Alright, thanks.” Edward said as he began to pull all his ingredients out. Peanut butter, grape jelly, bread, cheddar bunny crackers.... Turning to the fridge, he began to pull out the refrigerated ingredients. A yoghurt squeeze tube, raspberries, and carrots.

Al sat at the table, watching his brother with a careful eye. It was the clear that he had not slept well, as Al knew his brother like the back of his hand. Edward Elric did not wake up before seven unless he was truly rattled. Al could only assume that Edward had spent his night tossing and turning through dreams where Winry was still here. The dark circles under his eyes told the younger Elric enough. Edward was barely sleeping anymore, barely eating, but somehow he was able to put on a mask to hid all of this from Annelise. But it'd take an army to fool Alphonse and he knew that it'd take an army to convince Edward that he needed to change before he dropped dead.

But, he'd still try.

"You know, you'd look a lot better with a full nights rest." Alphonse suggested, sounding far more like a Doctor than a brother.

"You know, I'd look a lot better without you breathing down my throat." Edward answered in a snark tone. It was such an Edward Elric response that Alphonse wondered how much longer it'd take to get _his_ brother back. This other person who lived in Ed had long overstayed their welcome. Al just wanted his big brother back...

Al was slow to respond. "I just want you healthy, Edward." he started, picturing the vivd dark circles under his eyes. "You look like you've hardly gotten any sleep in days, and I just don't want to see you run down."

Edward shook his head as he began to wash the raspberries, "I'm not run down, Al." he answered. "I'm fine."

"It's going to catch up with you soon, and I hope that I'm here to catch you instead of the stairs, or the countertop." Al replied, "I don't need you to become one of my patients."

"And I don't need you being my doctor." Edward answered harshly, muttering obscenities under his breath.

"I only want to help you, Brother." Al answered, albeit sadly. "The way you've been living is going to catch up to you soon, hardly sleeping and barely eating isn't good for you." Al spoke in a somber tone. "What good will it do Annelise if you're sick?"

Edward stopped for a minute, his hand resting on the woven nylon of Annelise's lunch box. He was quiet for a minute, but Al could see the gears turning in his mind. "Do you think I really want to be like this, Alphonse?" Edward asked in a void tone.

The emptiness of his tone worried Al, adding on to the constant gnawing worry for his brother that was always present. "No, I don't." Al replied. "But I just wanted to remind you that there are people here who need you, and they need you to be happy and healthy."

 _'I need you here, I cannot do this without you.'_ Alphonse thought. Because in the back of his mind, their is a thought always gnawing at him that he will wake and Edward will be gone. Because he knows Edward's grief is a tidal wave and he is merely waiting for the day when that tidal wave will swallow him _whole_. Because he fears that Edward is so rash, that one day Al will be the one trying to _bring him back to life_ because of Ed's stupid rash actions.

Edward began cutting up Annelise's carrots, and Alphonse watched. But his mind was far off, thinking of the days when he wasn't constantly worried about his brother.

* * *

Edward had just said goodbye to Annelise, watching as she walked into the colorful classroom.

Her teacher welcomed her with a bright smile, helping her hang up her backpack before sending her off to her desk. A slight tear began to form in Ed's eye, he just could not believe how big she was getting.

After standing at the door for a few minutes, Edward began to walk down the hall. Ready to get his own day started, he was just about out the door when he brushed shoulders with a familiar onyx haired man. “Oops, sorry.” Edward said with a sheepish smile.

Looking up, he saw Roy walking out the door as well. Roy smiled at him, “Well, I've never seen you at drop off before.” Roy said.

Edward smiled, “I'm working on it.” Edward said albeit shy, “But I was up early today, so I decided to get my ass in gear.”

Roy's smiled dropped a bit, sad to know his friend was still struggling so much. “Mornings are tough, regardless of what you're going through.” Roy started. “Kids don't like to wake up early, and when going through what losing your partner brings, it's hard to put up the fight.”

Edward looked up at Roy, who was becoming such a good shoulder to lean. He just understood the struggle that Edward was going through everyday... It was just so easy to be honest with him. “Nights are hard for me,” Edward admitted. “I don't sleep half of the time, I use to hardly move at all but now I feel like I have to be moving." Ed continued, "I have to be doing something or the memories will haunt me till I'm swallowed whole by the depression.”

Roy was about to answer, when the loud shrill of the bell began to echoe through the hallways. Fifteen minutes had passed since their kids had gone off to class, yet they were still standing in the doorway talking. “How's a cup of coffee sounds?” Roy asked suddenly, “We can sit and chat for awhile.”

Edward, surprised by the sudden question, “Uh, sure.” he answered, “Where do you want to go?”

Roy smiled, glad the blonde had agreed to his request. “There's a nice little shop down the road, I'll walk you to your car and give you the directions.”

A slight blush began to dust Edward's cheeks, “Alright.”

* * *

“You seem to be doing a little bit better.” Roy announced as soon as they sat down.

Edward shrugged, “I am and I'm not.” He answered, “The days aren't so bad now, it's just when night falls and I'm all alone with my thoughts that it gets me.”

“Nights are hard, even now I still have some that are unbelievably difficult to get through.” Roy answered truthfully, “When you're all alone, your thoughts can consume you. If you let things spiral down far enough, they can overcome you.”

“How do you get through them?” Edward asked, picking slightly at his skin.

“I keep myself busy.” Roy answered, “I'll make a cup of tea, read a book, or sleep downstairs for the night where the TV will help keep the thoughts at bay." Roy continued. "Though, if they get bad enough I'll call a good friend of mine.” Roy paused for a minute. “But those truly bad nights don't happen that often anymore, I can manage better.”

Silence fell for a minute, Roy was the one to break it. “But the loss of my wife mixes in with other baggage I carry, so there are other reasons that nights are trying for me.”

“I've got my baggage too.” Edward answered, taking a large sip of his coffee. But his hand automatically tightening around his left knee. Roy didn't know, Roy couldn't know, and he'd make sure Roy wouldn't know.

For now.

“I was in the war.” Roy announced suddenly, drawing circles around the styrofoam lid of his coffee. “Afghanistan, I spent several years out there.”

Edward was quiet for a minute, “Oh shit.” He started. “I'm sorry.”

Roy sighed, “Don't be, I chose to go.” Roy answered easily, “But let's not talk abut the war, I'd rather know more about you.” Roy followed with a smile.

Edward shrugged, “Not much to talk about, don't do much these days.”

Roy took a slow sip of his coffee, “Well, what'd you do before coming here?” Roy asked.

“Resembol didn't have much, but I worked in a research lab at the local college.” Edward answered, taking a small sip of his coffee and letting the caffeine slowly wake him up.

Roy blinked, not quite expecting that answer. “Wow,” Roy started, “that's something.”

Edward shrugged again, “I guess.” he answered. “Only thing that doesn't bore me, science keeps moving and there are always new things to discover and find, it keeps me busy.” He paused for a minute. “Though I haven't read much since she died, but this morning I was reading a study about the rising sea levels.”

“So you like environmental science?” Roy asked, leaning back in his chair slightly as he took another sip of his coffee.

Edward chuckled, “Not really, I more of a chemistry and physics guy.” he answered, “That's more my thing, but it was the only study I was able to print off.”

“I like Chemistry too.” Roy said, “But probably not in the same way you do.” Roy said with a small chuckle.

Edward smiled, “My brother calls my relationship with chemistry borderline obsessive, my wife would say I was infatuated with it.” He let out a slight chuckle, “Often times she joked that I loved it more than her.” Edward let out another chuckle.

Roy smirked, “My wife said the same thing about me and politics.”

“Ahh, so you're a political man?” Edward asked with a small smirk, taking another sip of coffee.

“Yup, I work in politics.” Roy answered smoothly. “I actually work at an office down the street.”

“What do you do?” Edward asked, drawing circles around the rim of his cup.

“I'm an attorney.” Roy answered with a grin, “My best friend and I have a firm together.”

Reaching for his wallet, Roy passed a stiff business card to Edward. Edward took it and slowly read the embossed letters, _'R.M.H Attorney's at Law'_. “Nice.” He said slowly, rubbing at his temple slightly. He felt a headache coming on very suddenly.

Maybe the coffee was a bad idea.

Maybe not eating was a bad idea.

Maybe he should've slept more. Or at all.

 _'Maybe Al was right..'_ Edward thought, rubbing at his eyes. He felt off, he felt weird.

“Ed?” Roy asked, his voice sounding concerned. But he sounded far away, almost like Ed was underwater.

Edward let out a groan, and mumbled something incoherently.

But then he suddenly collapsed, sliding off of his chair. Everything seemed to move in slow motion all of a sudden. Roy tried to be as quick as he could, but Edward collided with the corner of the table before Roy could get to him.

“Edward!” Roy cried, rushing to his side. He caught the man just before he collided with the tiled floor.

Roy began to immediately check him over for injuries. He had sustained a nasty cut from the corner of the table, and Roy could tell there was going to be a nice bruise to accompany it. Roy knew he needed to get Edward to a hospital, as the man more than likely sustained a concussion from the ordeal.

Checking him over, Roy declared that Edward was in no urgent need of paramedics. So with no ambulance being needed, and the hospital being an under five-minute drive even in the early morning traffic, Roy decided that he would take the man to the hospital.


	5. Never Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it hurts like hell.

 

“Good morning, what seems to be the problem today Mr. Edwar-”

Dr. Elric stopped mid-sentence when he saw who was waiting in the room. Laid out on the bed, with a blood soaked napkin tied around his head, was an unconscious Edward Elric.

“What the hell happened, Brother.” Alphonse muttered, turning to see a mysterious man sitting by his brother's bedside. “And who are you?”

“My name is Roy Mustang, my sons attend the same school as Annelise, Edward and I are sort of friends.” Roy said, adding a sheepish smile to help plead his case.

“Nice to meet you, I am Dr. Alphonse Elric and I'm also Edward's younger brother.” Al answered quickly, feeling anxious. “Now could you please tell me what has happened to him?”

 _'I asked you not to become my patient, I asked you to take care of yourself.'_ Al thought with rattled nerves eating away at him.

“We went for coffee after drop off, everything was going fine until he got very quiet.” Roy started, “He suddenly fell over, and unfortunately his head his the corner of the table before I got to him, I am so sorry Dr. Elric.”

“It's fine, this isn't your fault, it's Edwards.” Al answered as he began to get a pair of latex gloves on. He was mumbling under his breath as he gathered some supplies, preparing for what he may need.

“Are you alright, Dr. Elric?” Roy asked, watching Alphonse frantically move around the station.

Al shook his head, “No, technically I am not supposed to work on him.” Al answered in a rush, “But I'll be damned if I let anyone else work on him.”

Walking back to Ed's bedside, Al began to undo the makeshift bandages around Ed's forehead.

“Edward has been under a lot lately, and while I have him out and before me, I'm going to fully look at him.” Al said, more to himself than Roy.

Poking around the new wound, Al winced. It looked like it hurt, and it was a good nick near his temple. “You did a nice job Ed, thanks for listening to my advice on letting the table catch you.” Al mumbled.

“How's he doing, at the school I mean?” Al asked suddenly.

“He's doing pretty good, I know it's hard for him.” Roy answered swiftly, watching as Al poked and prodded the wound.

“Ah, so he's told you.”

“It's actually how we became friends, I lost my wife as well.” Roy answered. “So I've been offering him words of support.”

Al nodded, quiet as he began to clean the wound. He let out a sigh, “It's been rough, and he's been a mess ever since it happened.” Al paused for a minute, his hand resting on Edward's forehead. “It was just so unexpected.. that it left us all rattled.”

Roy nodded, well aware that Al could not see him. But he watched as the man began to pull out a variety of tools. “Does it need stitches?” Roy asked.

Al nodded, “It's not terrible, but it needs a stitch or so to heal properly.”

Roy nodded, and remained quiet as he watched Al work. But his eyes began to drift to all the wires they had hooked Edward up to. All of which were connected to a small machine that monitored everything. It took him back, to a very different time where his heart was utterly broken and he thought that the world before him was ending.

* * *

_Roy stared at all the wires and machines hooked up to his wife, it was as if she were drowning in a sea of wires that were keeping her alive. Trying to get more time, trying to save her life. The very thought of losing her made him grab her hand and hold it tight. Gently, he placed a soft kiss on it before using his other hand to brush wispy hairs out of her face._

_“I love you darling..” He spoke softly, not wanting to wake her out of her much-needed rest. “I love you so very, very much.”_

_'How will I do this without you, Riza?' Roy thought, thinking about his young boys. They were at his best friends house right now, probably taking a nap at this very moment._

_And it was terrible, because he knew she wasn't going to make it. She knew this, he knew this, the doctors knew this. But no one stopped Roy when he refused to sign her DNR **(1)** , and no one stopped him when he requested they do everything in their power to save her. _

_No one stopped him when he wanted to keep her alive for his own selfish reasons. Because Roy was weak without her, so he was selfishly keeping her alive because he was a weak man._

_But as Roy sat by her bedside, stroking her cheek. He knew the time to let go was coming, and he knew he needed to accept it._

_But for now, in this moment, he would savor the time he had left with her._

_“I love you Riza..” Roy whispered, gently nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck._

* * *

“Mr. Mustang?”

“Hm?” Roy mumbled, looking up to see Al look at him.

“I asked if you were alright.” Al repeated, concern evident in his voice. “You looked a little off.”

“I'm sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts.” Roy answered in a solemn tone. “This place just brings back some memories.”

Al nodded, “I know the feeling all too well.”

“Is he going to be alright?” Roy asked, suddenly changing the subject. In a place such as the hospital, thinking of Riza could be far too hard.

“Of course, I'm almost done with his stitches.” Al answered easily, a small smile playing way to his face. “I can't check for a concussion until he wakes up, but until then I'm just monitoring his vitals and giving him some fluids.” Al paused for a moment, “He's just run himself ragged, he hasn't been eating or sleeping much, so his body just ran out of gas and now we have to fill him back up.”

 _'You never listen, never.'_ Al thought, _'And now you're paying the price for it.'_

“How long do you think he will be out for?” Roy asked, glancing at his watch.

Al shrugged, “It all depends...” He started, “But since he was running on little to no sleep, and has been like that for several days, I think he will be out for some time.”

“Who will pick up Annelise then?” Roy asked, thinking of the fact that pick up was only a few hours away.

“Shit.” Al swore, nearly dropping the needle he was holding. “I work until six-thirty, and Edward won't be allowed to drive...” Mumbling the last part to himself. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Roy thought for a minute, “Would you care if I picked her up?” Roy asked, albeit shyly.

Al paused in his mutterings, “That may work..” He answered, “But only if we can get the school to agree to it.”

Roy nodded, “I'll call them in a little while.” He answered, glancing down at his watch to see that it was going on noon. “I'm going to go down to the cafeteria to get some lunch, would you like me to get you something?”

Al, who had returned to finishing up Ed's stitches, paused once more. “That would actually be really nice..” He started, “..maybe a coffee? Or maybe a brother that doesn't give me near heart attacks..” He added with a grin.

Roy smile, “I can do the coffee, but the latter part would take some work.” He answered. “In that case, I'm off and shall return in maybe an hour.” He paused, walking towards the door before adding, “I've got a few calls to make as well, so I'll return as soon as I can.”

Al nodded, returning back to his work. “Sounds good Mr. Mustang.”

“Just call me Roy, please!” Roy called from the hallway, and all Al could do was smile.

After Al was sure Roy was out of hearing range, he let out a huge sigh. “Brother...” he started, “Why will you talk with him, but not me?”

Al let out another sigh before finishing up the stitches, and moving to another task.

* * *

Walking out of the hospital, Roy quickly pulled out his cell phone. Grimacing when he saw he had _seven_ missed phone calls from Maes Hughes. _'This is not good.'_ Roy thought, running his hands through his hair. He quickly dialed Maes number, prepared for the onslaught of his best friends rage.

 _“Where the hell have you been?!”_ Maes swore immediately.

“I've been busy.” Roy answered swiftly. “I'm sorry I didn't call.”

He heard Maes sigh on the other end. _"You can't just skip work Roy.”_

“I was helping a friend, I was going to be on time but we ran into a bump in the road.” Roy answered, beginning to pace around the front entrance.

_“And that bump would be..?”_

Roy gulped, he knew this was going to sound fake as hell. “I had to take him to the hospital..”

He heard Maes chuckle, _“Well that would be a large bump.”_ He heard Maes let out another chuckle, _“Did Havoc drink himself into another coma?”_

Roy let out a chuckle, “No, it actually was a friend I made at the boy's school.”

 _“Is that right?”_ Maes asked.

“He has a daughter in kindergarten, and he's going through what I did when I..” Roy stumbled, blinking away some tears. “lost Riza..”

 _“Take a deep breath.”_ Hughes coached, listening as Roy did as he was told. _“Slowly let it out.”_ Hughes waited to hear the long, drawn out breath. _“I know, being at the hospital is hard for you.”_ Hughes said in a soft, sad, tone.

“I'm fine.” Roy answered slowly, “Sometimes it'll just hit me out of nowhere, and right now seeing Ed go through what I went through has just made these moments a bit more present.”

He heard Hughes hum in response, _“So what happened?”_

“We went out for coffee and he passed out, hit his head on the table and gave himself a nice nick on the head.” Roy replied, “I'm sorry I didn't let you know what was happening.”

 _“Since it's going on one-thirty, should I even expect you to come in?”_ Hughes asked.

“No.” Roy answered swiftly. “If I were you I'd go ahead and close up and go spend some quality time with Elysia.”

 _“Oh that's a wonderful idea!”_ Hughes squeeled, _“When you come in tomorrow I have new photos to show you of her and my beautiful wi-”_

Roy didn't get to catch the last part of Hughes's sentence as he had flipped his phone shut. A wide smirk growing on his face as he did so.

* * *

Edward woke with a pounding headache and feeling very disoriented. As he woke, he let out a low groan.

The first thing he noticed was that he felt like _shit_. His headache so bad that he didn't even want to open his eyes. The second thing he noticed was that he heard someone walking around, mumbling to themselves. But wait... where exactly was he? As this was definitely not the café..

Not knowing where he was sent him into a blind panic, he shot up from the bed but instantly regretted it. Clutching hard at his head, Ed fell back on the bed with a yelp of pain.

He heard foot steps approaching the bed, but he kept his eyes shut as his skull felt like it was caving in on him. Whoever it was needed to leave him the hell alone.

“I know your awake,” A familiar voice spoke. “So open your eyes for me so I can check you over.”

Edward groaned, reluctant to open his eyes.

The person let out a sigh, “Don't make me do it the hard way, brother.”

At the mention of 'brother', Edward slowly - almost painfully – opened his eyes. Squinting slightly at the sight of his younger brother, who had a deep frown on his face. “The hell are you doin' here?” Edward asked sluggishly, his voice low.

“Me?” Alphonse started, a slim flashlight in hand as he moved in closer to Ed. “I'm doing my _job_ , making sure you didn't knock that hard head too bad.”

Clicking the flashlight on, Alphonse began shining it into Ed's eyes, checking the size of Ed's pupils he let out a sigh. “Damn pupils not being the same size...” He mumbled to himself, tucking his flashlight back into the pocket of his doctors coat. “You did a nice job hitting yourself in the head.”

“What?” Edward asked, turning his head to the side before instantly regretting it. “Damn it, that hurts..”

“You have a concussion.” Al answered simply, “You were out getting coffee with some guy named Roy Mustang and you passed out.” Al continued, walking back to the bed he gently patted at the bandaged section on Edward's temple. “Knocked your head on the table, earned yourself five stitches and a mild concussion.”

Edward was quiet for a minute, his head was pounding and felt like it was going to explode. Talking wasn't helping, and neither was the bright lights of the hospital room. He knew this was thanks to the concussion, thanks to having had one before. “Can we just stop talking?” Edward asked through gritted teeth, closing his eyes in hopes to lessen the pain.

“You can, but I'm not.” Al answered, walking over and sitting beside his brother. “Because I need you to understand why this happened, and what needs to change before this happens again and you knock yourself into a coma.”

Edward just remained silent, only slightly opening his eyes to look at his brother. He looked tired, stressed, and worried. A wave of regret washed over Ed. He was hurting Al, he hated making Al worry over him. “I don't want to talk about this Al.” Edward said, his voice low in an attempt to keep the pain at bay.

“I don't care what you want to talk about Edward.” Al said, his voice coming out slightly rougher than expected. “I care about keeping you healthy, and right now you are not healthy and I just had to fucking sew your head back together!” Al ended with a loud sigh. “All I've ever done is worry about you, and honestly it's exhausting.”

Edward was quiet for a minute, “Alphonse, have you given me anything for the pain yet?” Edward asked in a low, quiet tone.

“Brother, we really need to talk-”

“After, _please_ , after.” Edward begged, “Shit, hurts like hell...”

Al let out a sigh and got up from the stool in a haste. Throwing open the cabinets, Al grabbed a small bottle of medicine. Opening the cap, tossing out two pills Al handed them to Edward along with a cup of water. “Take these, you will feel better.” Al said, his tone harsh.

But Edward knew it was all in love, he knew Alphonse was mad at him. But he knew it was the type of mad that came only out of love. All Al wanted was for his brother to be healthy, and right now Ed was being shitty to him. “I'm sorry Al.” Edward answered, his voice holding a tinge of sadness to it. Taking his medicine, Edward suddenly blurted out, “What about Annelise?”

“Roy is working on seeing if the school will let him pick her up.” Al answered, “If not, I guess they will keep her at after school care until I am able to get her.”

Edward, slowly fell back into the sea of sleep. “I can...” He said half-coherently, and all Al could do was smile as he watched Edward close his eyes.

Getting up from his chair, Alphonse collected his stack of papers from the counter. Walking to the doorway, he flicked the light off and exited the room with a smile.

* * *

Roy came marching back into Ed's hospital room, cell phone in one hand and coffee and a bag of food in the other. “But, Dr. Elric is unable to pick her up and asked if I could do so.” Roy said in an irritated tone, brows furrowed in frustration. “I _understand_ , but Mr. Elric is unable to pick her up and Dr. Elric works late.”

Alphonse, who happened to be in checking Edward's vitals at that moment, looked up at the sound of Roy's voice. “Do they need to talk to me?” Alphonse asked, his voice quiet as to not disturb Ed's sleep or interrupt Roy's phone call.

Roy nodded slightly, “I actually have Dr. Elric right by me, would you like to speak to him?” Roy asked, waiting a minute before gesturing Alphonse over to him.

Al quickly walked over, talking the phone in one hand. “Alphonse Elric speaking, what seems to be the problem?” Al asked, holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder while he wrote something down on his clip board.

“Yes, I fully give Roy Mustang my permission to transport Annelise home.” Al answered, “Well, since Edward is currently in the hospital this stance as an emergency and since I am her emergency contact I think I am right to fully give someone else the permission to transport her home.” Al let out a frustrated sigh, “We can do the paperwork for this later, right now I just need someone to bring her home since neither I or her Father are able to pick her up.” Al answered, “Yes, I will let you speak with him.”

Handing the phone over to Roy, Al let out another frustrated sigh before plopping down on the stool.

“Alright, thank you very much for understanding, bye.” Roy answered, hanging up his phone before shoving it in his pocket. “Damn irritating, that's what they are.” Roy muttered, he then handed the cup of coffee and bag over to Al.

Al gave him a confused look, “What's this?” He asked, gesturing to the random food being shoved in his face.

“Well, this is the cup of coffee you requested and the bag is full of food so you don't end up like your brother.” Roy answered, “Because currently, you look like death warmed over, Dr. Elric.”

Al was silent for a moment, not use to someone worrying over him other than his brother. And even he had stepped back in the last several months due to the circumstances. But then his face broke out into a wide smile, “Thank you.” He said, before taking a slow slip of his coffee.

“By the way,” Al added. “you can stop calling me Dr. Elric, Alphonse is just fine.”

Roy smiled, before leaning down and checking his watch. It read ten till two, and Roy knew he should probably get a move on now to get a good parking spot and to speak to the office once more. “Do you happen to have Annelise's car seat with you?” Roy asked. “I think I should get going now so I can get a good parking spot and all.”

Al nodded, “It's in my car, why don't we walk down together and get it?” Al offered, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

* * *

“Alright, here's her seat.” Alphonse said, handing Roy the large black and pink car seat. “I'm sure you know how to work it.”

Roy nodded, “Just like my boys had.”

Al smiled, “Perfect, just give me a call when you get here and I'll come down and get her.”

“About that..” Roy started, “I don't think Annelise should see Edward like that, why don't you let her come home with me and come get her when your shift is over?” Roy asked, “If you're comfortable with that, of course..”

Al thought for a minute, “I don't know about that... I'd really rather have her with me..” Al mumbled, “But I won't be getting off for another couple of hours..” Al let out a sigh, “I guess, but could you send me updates through texts?”

“Of course, just let me get your number.” Roy answered, pulling his cell phone back out of his pocket.

Al recited the number, and the two parted ways on an agreement that Roy would text Al every hour.

* * *

Roy arrived to the school a little later than expected, but he still somehow managed to grab a good parking space. Before walking over towards the door, Roy double checked to make sure he had installed Annelise's seat correctly. His boys had been in boosters for over a year now, so he was a little out of practice when it came to installing a large, high-backed car seat. After making sure he had it all right, Roy locked his car and made his way to the school. He had to stop into the office before getting the kids.

When Roy called the school, after finally agreeing on letting Roy pick up Annelise, they asked him to come into the office beforehand. He assumed it was due to the paperwork they requested Al fill out.

Walking into the office, Roy was greeted with a smile by the secretary. “Hi, how can I help you Mr. Mustang?” She asked. The school wasn't that big, so most of the staff knew the parents by name.

Roy smiled, “Good afternoon Miss. Douglas, I am here to pick up Annelise Elric and I was told I would need to pick up a forum to give to Alphonse Elric.”

Miss. Douglas nodded, reaching out to grab a paper off her desk and handing it to Roy. “Here you go, please tell Mr. Elric that this forum must be returned tomorrow or else we will not allow you to transport Annelise next time.” She answered. “This was only allowed due to the fact that Dr. Elric stated that it was an emergency and there are no other emergency contacts listed.”

Roy nodded, “Understood.”

Miss. Douglas smiled, “Have a nice afternoon Mr. Mustang.”

Roy smiled, “You do the same, Miss. Douglas.”

* * *

After exiting the office, Roy looked down at his phone to check the time. It read two twenty-five which meant he still had five more minutes till the kids got out of class. He knew the kids were probably lined up by the door waiting until the bell rang releasing them for the day. So he found no harm in walking towards the classrooms. He decided to stop at Annelise's first since her classroom came before the boy's.

The first classroom on the right was Annelise's kindergarten class, she had Miss. Thomas. Roy was familiar with her as she was also who the boys had, and he found her to be a wonderful teacher. Roy soon found himself in front of the classroom, he saw the young children lined up with their coats and backpacks on, looking eager to go home. Miss. Thomas was the only class that did full day kindergarten, while the other two teachers taught both an a.m and p.m class.

Roy poked his head in the room, and saw Miss. Thomas helping a child get their backpack on correctly. “Excuse me, Miss. Thomas?” He called, catching her attention.

Rose looked up and smiled, “Ah, Mr. Mustang.” She called back, leading the child towards the line before walking towards Roy. “I take it you're here for Annelise.”

Roy nodded, smiling at the woman.

Rose looked down for Annelise, she stood in the middle of the line holding onto her backpack straps as she looked down at her shoes. The other children practically towered her, her petite form almost eaten by her own backpack. She was not paying any attention to the adults speaking, and Roy could clearly see that she was lost in her own day dream. Rose crouched down to the petite child’s level. “Annelise.” She spoke gently, “Your ride home is here.”

Annelise looked up at her teacher, before looking up at the door where Roy stood. “That's not Daddy.” Annelise said in a soft, matter-of-fact tone.

Rose sent her a tepid smile, “I know honey, but today Mr. Mustang is taking you home.” Rose started. “Daddy and Uncle Al have work to do, so Mr. Mustang is here to take you home.” Rose paused, letting the little girl take the information in.

Annelise looked between her teacher and Roy, before softly nodding in understanding.

Rose gently took her hand, leading her out from the line and to Roy. “She has all her things, and all she has to do for homework is read her sight words.” She relayed to Roy. “Have a good afternoon you two!”

Annelise gently took Roy's hand, giving him only a small smile. She seemed a little shy without her Father with her.

“Are you ready to get Lucas and Roman?” Roy asked, his voice soft and gentle.

Annelise nodded.

And off they went down the hall as the bell rang loudly.

* * *

Down in the boys classroom, most the kids had exited by the time Roy and Annelise got there. But the twin's teacher had kept them in the class, as she knew Roy was coming down to get them.

Lucas and Roman waited impatiently by the door for their Father, not use to him being late.

“Why do you think he's late?” Lucas asked Roman, a little concerned for their Dad.

“I don't know,” Roman shrugged, “Maybe he got held up at work.”

“What if something happened?” Lucas worried.

Roman shook his head, “Mr. Hughes is probably talkin' Daddy's ear off at the office.”

“Sorry I'm late boys.” Roy interrupted the twin's conversation. “I had to pick up a friend.”

The boys rushed over to Roy with wide grins on their faces.

“Is Elysia coming home with us!” Roman asked excitedly.

Roy shook his head with a smile, “No, today we are taking Annelise home with us.” Placing a hand on the soft blonde hair of the girl who hanging by his leg.

“Hi Annelise!” The boys said in unison, “Are you ready to go home with us?”

Annelise nodded.

“Well then, let's get home and maybe have a snack.” Roy said with a smile.

“Yay!” The boys cried as they rushed out the classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to cut it short, but it was going on 11 pages so..


	6. Dead Man Walking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Already broken, already gone. I'm a breathing, talking, dead man walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) - A snuggle animal, that has a bunny head and a blanket body.
> 
> (2) - A blanket used to swaddle a newborn baby to like, make them a human cocoon.
> 
> (3) - Just google rear facing car seat.

Upon arriving home, Roy immediately sent Al a text that said they got home and were going to have a snack.

While Lucas and Roman quickly barreled into the house, chattering on about what they would do this afternoon, Annelise remained still. She hung by Roy's leg, watching as Roy typed out his message to Alphonse. Roy noticed the set of eyes on him, and sent the girl a small smile. “You can follow the boys, Annelise.” Roy said, “I'm just sending a text to Uncle Al.”

Annelise merely nodded, before following the boys into the hallway. Roy watched for a moment, hitting send on the text before shoving his phone into his pants pocket.

As the boys rushed through the house like animals, throwing their things around haphazardly. Annelise slowly took her coat off, hanging it up on the closet doorknob. She then sat down and slowly took her shoes off. The velcro let out a loud noise as Annelise slowly undid the strap to her shiny Mary-jane’s. Slipping them off, she sat the shoes next to the boy's tennis shoes. Standing up, she took her backpack and headed towards the dining room.

Once in the dining room, she jumped up into a chair and began to unload her homework for the night.

Roy watched in a slight marvel, little girls were just so...different from the whirlwind of his boys. Shaking his head slightly, he walked into the kitchen. “What would you like for snack, kids?” Roy asked, opening the cabinets and looking at the selection.

Lucas looked up from his folder, “You pick, Annelise.” He suggested with a smile.

“Yeah, you pick!” Roman chimed in, before lowering his head back towards his backpack as he took out his _'Go Home'_ folder.

Roy turned his head towards the dining room and sent the kids a smile, “What'll it be, Annelise?” He asked, his voice slightly softer than usual.

Annelise shyly turned towards Roy, a thoughtful look on her face. “Do you have the little oranges?” She asked in a soft voice.

Roy had to think for a second before he knew what she meant. “Oh!” Roy exclaimed, “You mean these?” He asked, grabbing one of the small oranges from the basket on the counter and holding it towards her.

Annelise smiled slightly, “Yes.”

“Alright, three little oranges it is.” Roy replied as he grabbed them from the basket, “Would we like some juice to go with that?”

“Yes please!” The boys replied in unison, while Annelise merely nodded. Roy was beginning to notice that without her Father present, Annelise was much more quiet and reserved. Despite the boys trying to engage her in conversation, Annelise barely spoke.

Roy let out a soft sigh, before turning to get out some juice boxes.

* * *

“Mr. Roy?” Annelise called, her voice soft as she tip-toed into his office.

Looking up, Roy smiled at the sight of the petite child standing in the doorway. “Yes, Annelise?” He asked, beckoning the young girl towards him.

“Where's Daddy?” She asked, slowly walking towards him. One finger twirling her long blonde hair, while the other hand was fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

“Daddy's not feeling well, he's at home resting.” Roy answered, because he wasn't going to tell the child her Father was in the hospital with a head wound. “Uncle Al will come pick you up when he gets off of work.”

Standing in front of his desk, she looked up at Roy with big blue eyes, “But I want Daddy...” She whined, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. “I want Daddy..”

And this...was awkward, because while Roy knew Annelise, he didn't _know_ her. He didn't know her well enough to wrap his arms around her and coddle her. To hold her like he would his own, and comfort her in ways she was familiar with. “I know honey, but Uncle Al will be here soon.” Roy said, getting up from his desk and walking towards her. He got down on her level and sent her a warm smile, “I promise, he'll be here as soon as he can.”

Annelise let out a sniffle, pouting as a stray tear escaped from her bright blue eyes. “I want _Daddy..._ ” She cried, fisting the bottom of her skirt.

Roy frowned, “I know, sweetie.” He said gently, “But he has to rest, and Uncle Al will be here before you know it.”

Annelise shook her head, “But Mommy had to rest, and Mommy never came _back._ ” she cried, rubbing the back of her hands to her cheeks to wipe away the tears.

_Shit._

It made sense now, after all, Annelise was _only_ four. She thought Edward wasn't going to come back, just like her Mother never came back. Roy had yet to learn what happened to Edward's late wife, but it seemed that Annelise was left waiting for her and she never returned. “Oh, Annelise.” Roy said, resting a hand on the child's shoulder. “Daddy will come back, he'll come and get you with Uncle Al.”

Annelise sniffed, and let out another soft cry. She looked at Roy and held her arms up, a sign that Roy recognized with ease. He smiled and gently picked the small child up. She was slightly tense in his arms, but laid her head on his shoulder as she let out soft sniffles. Slowly, Roy stood, holding the young girl tightly in his arms. “Let's go sit somewhere.” He said softly, “I'll read you a story, if you like.”

Annelise nodded, “Can I take BunBun?” She asked quietly, referring to the item Roy recognized as her comfort lovey **(1)**.

“Of course.” Roy said with a smile, “Did you leave BunBun in the dining room?”

He felt Annelise nod, “Then let's go get her.” Roy said with a grin, it had been sometime since he had gotten to coddle a young child. His boys were getting far too big, and so was Elysia.

Walking into the dining room, he saw the weathered pink bunny laying on the table. It was a lovey, similar to one each of his boys had as a baby, and it looked like it was well loved. He grabbed one of its satin edges, and handed it to Annelise. She smiled brightly, the tears fading as she snuggled her lovey. “Thank you.” She whispered.

Walking into the living room, he found the boys were sitting on the couch watching a cartoon. “Boy's.” He said softly, “I am going upstairs with Annelise for a while, be good.” He said as he turned to the stairs. “And when Mr. Alphonse gets here, either come get me or let him inside.”

“Ok, Dad.” The boys replied, before turning their attention back to their show.

* * *

Once upstairs, he took Annelise into the boy's play room. He had kept the glider from the their nursery in there, and he thought it would be nice to sit with her in the glider while they read a story or two. Annelise just wanted someone to hold her, coddle her, and remind her that just because Daddy was gone didn't mean that he wasn't coming back. She was in a home she didn't know, with people she could merely consider acquaintances, and she needed something that reminded her that she was _safe._

Like a second nature, Roy's parental instinct kicked into high gear and Roy would do what ever needed to comfort Annelise.

Placing Annelise on her feet, a warm smile on his lips, Roy watched as Annelise looked around the room in marvel. “Why don't you pick out some books.” Roy suggested, directing her to the tall book-case he had against the wall. She turned towards the bookcase and grinned, she _loved_ books and Roy could tell he had made the right decision to bring her here.

Hopping over towards the tall book-case, Annelise began to scan the bindings of each book. Searching for something that interested her. She ran her fingers across each binding, looking for familiar titles. She slowly scanned across the bindings, before a wide smile turned on her lips as she pulled out a familiar book. “Can we read _'Where the Wild Things Are'_?” Annelise asked, holding the book out towards Roy.

“Why of course.” Roy said with a gentle smile, “Why don't we sit together in the glider?”

Annelise just nodded, clutching both the book and her stuffed bunny tightly in her arms. She then followed Roy to the glider, crawling into his lap after he took a seat. “This is Daddy's favorite book.” Annelise said, a soft smile on her lips. Roy smiled as he opened the book, looking at the title page. “It's one of my favorite books too.” Roy added, before clearing his throat and starting the story. “The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind....”

* * *

The knock on the door was rapt, and brought the boys out of their daze watching their favorite show.

“That must be Mr. Alphonse.” Lucas said, turning to Roman.

“Dad told us to just let him in.” Roman replied, “So you go open the door.”

“No, Dad told _us_ to open the door, so you're comin' with me!” Lucas replied.

Roman let out a groan, “Fine.” He grumbled, hopping off the couch and walking towards the door.

Lucas quickly followed him, and they both peeked through the mail slot. They saw a man with short, sienna colored hair. The two decided that the man was definitely Mr. Alphonse, Lucas was the one to turn the doorknob. The image of Alphonse, who wore a blue button down and khaki slacks, with a light grey jacket on over it to protect him from the chilly early fall air.

“Hello.” Al said with a smile, taking in the boys appearance.

The two boys both had dark black hair, just like Roy's. But their eyes were a warm copper borwn shade, which Al could only assume had come from their late Mother. Their skin was rather light, similar to Roy's. While the two boys were obviously identical, Alphonse could spot some slight differences between the two.

“Are you Mr. Alphonse?” The boys asked in unison, hands tight on the door knob.

“Yes I am.” Al replied with a smile, “Do you know where your Daddy is?”

“He's upstairs.” Roman replied, “Luke and I can take you there.”

“That would be nice.” Alphonse said, as he stepped into the house. The boys shut the door behind him, while Al scanned the house for his young niece. “Where is Annelise?” Al asked, noticing the young girl was not downstairs with the boys.

“She's upstairs with Daddy.” Lucas replied, “He told us not to get him until you got here.”

That made Al nervous, because while he trusted Roy he barely knew the man. “Okay.” Al said, slightly uneasy. “Let's go get Daddy then.”

The boys smiled, “Follow us!” They replied, turning towards the stairs when they saw Al was right behind them.

* * *

 

“Annelise was sad, Daddy probably took her to the play room.” Roman stated as they reached the top of the stairs.

“She was sad?” Al asked, and a pang of hurt jabbed at his heart. She had gone through so much these last few months, and all Al wanted was for her to be happy. “Why was she sad?”

“She wanted her Daddy.” Lucas replied with ease.

Guilt washed over Al, and he felt conflicted on his decision to let Roy watch Annelise. He should've had Roy bring her to the hospital. But he had to squash that thought, because Roy was right. It would have been more damaging for Annelise to see her Father all bandaged up and lying in a hospital bed.

“Here's the playroom.” Roman said, his soft voice awakening Al from his internal debate. “It has the _'shh'_ sign on it, so it means we've got to be quiet.”

Looking up, Al saw that the door was cracked. “Thank you boys, I'm going to talk to your Daddy now, ok?” Al replied.

The boys nodded, before quickly disappearing downstairs.

* * *

Walking into the playroom, Al saw that Roy was sitting in the large glider that was placed in the corner. A large copy of _'Where the Wild Things Are'_ sitting in his lap, while Annelise was curled up next to him, sound asleep. Her BunBun clutched tightly in one hand, while the other had a tight hold on Roy's black shirt.

Roy sent Al a soft smile, “She's been asleep for about forty-five minutes, I didn't have the heart to wake her.” Roy replied, looking down at the girl with a fond smile.

Al slowly walked towards them, a soft smile playing way to his lips. “That's fine, she probably needed the sleep.” He replied, “How was she?”

“She's much more quiet without Edward.” Roy answered honestly, “She was very hesitant, and she was surprisingly clingy with me.”

Al let out a sigh, “She's always been more shy without one of us with her.” Al replied. “At school, the teacher says she doesn't talk a lot.” Al paused for a minute, “It's something we're working on, but she takes after Ed.”

“Ed's quiet?” Roy questioned, a chuckle following.

A smile played way to Al's lips, “Surprisingly yes, he's very introverted.” Al said, “He likes science more than he likes people.”

“Learn something new everyday.” Roy replied with a chuckle.

A frown began to form on Al's lips, “The boys said she was sad, is that true?” Al asked.

Roy nodded, his smile dropping. “She came and found me in my office after a while, and she was just on pins and needles.” Roy paused for a minute, looking down at the girl nestled in his arms. “She was afraid that Ed wouldn't be coming back, just like her Mother never came back.”

Al let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. “It's so hard for her, she still doesn't really grasp what happened to her Mother.” Al said in a sad tone. “For awhile we were drifting between understanding what happened and screaming for her Mother.” Al paused. “Now we're getting to the part where she is starting to understand the she's not coming back, but death is a hard concept for kids.”

“What happened?” Roy asked suddenly, “If you don't mind me asking, that is.”

Al was quiet for a long moment, and a faraway look had taken place in his eyes. Roy was almost certain he had treed into unspoken territory. “It was a car accident.” Al had said in a soft tone, so soft that Roy almost didn't hear it. “She had gone out late to deliver an order, and a drunk driver T-boned her.” Al paused, and Roy could see tears brimming in his eyes. “She died instantly.”

“I am so sorry.” Roy said in a sad, sincere tone. “That is just, horrible.”

Al let out a deep, watery sigh. “It's been the hardest thing we've ever had to go through, it's worse than when our Mother passed when we were kids.”

Roy frowned, “Well if you ever need anything, I'm here.” He replied, watching as Al's face contorted from pain to a slight smile. “How's Ed?”

Al rolled his eyes slightly, before a strained chuckle escaped. “He's going to be alright, he's had a concussion and a head wound before so he will live.” Al paused, “He was happy you took care of her, he must trust you.”

Roy _beamed,_ “I'm happy to have helped you two out, I know this single parenting stuff can be shit at times, even when you have the support.”

Al just nodded, “Well, I've got to go, I left Ed at home and it's been an hour since I checked on him so I have to make sure he hasn't lapsed into a coma or something stupid.” Al paused for a minute, taking in one last look at Annelise sleeping peacefully in the crook of Roy's shoulder. “Can I have the princess?”

“Why of course.” Roy said with a smile, sitting up slightly, so that he would meet Al in the middle. Al carefully lifted her up into his arms, a muffled sigh of sorts escaping the child, and held her so that her legs were hooked around his chest and her head was resting on his shoulder. “It's kind of chilly outside, let me get a blanket for her.” Roy said, quickly walking towards the closet and pulling out a soft, summer blanket that he used to swaddle **(2)** the boys when they were babies. Roy draped it across her small form while Al tucked it slightly under his arms so that it wouldn't fall when they walked out the door.

“Thank you so much for taking care of her.” Al said, pressing a soft kiss on Annelise's head. “It really helped me out.”

A wide smile came across Roy's lips, “It was no trouble at all, I enjoyed having her over.” Roy said in the most sincere tone. “If you ever need me to watch her again, just let me know.”

Al smiled, “I will.” He paused for a minute, and Roy could see the gears working in his mind. But Al shook his head, deciding that now was not the time to unload his life story onto this man that he had met only a few hours ago. “Do you mind gathering her school stuff for me?” Al asked instead, “I'm going to take her out to the car.”

“Of course not, let me get her car seat for you too.” Roy answered, before quickly leading Al out and down the stairs.

* * *

After watching Roy carefully install the seat, and Al wasn't afraid to point out any mistakes Roy made. Because Winry died in a car crash, and even before she died Ed and Al fussed about Annelise's car seat because _Mom_ had died in a car crash. And hell, they even still had Annelise rear-facing **(3)** because both of them knew what could happen. And while Al didn't have any scars, but mental ones, to show. Edward did, and Edward didn't want anything like that to happen to Annelise. “Thank you so much.” Al said, once Roy poked out for the back seat after installing Annelise's car seat. “I know that wasn't the most easy thing to do.”

Roy smiled as he shook his head, “No, it's fine.” Roy said. “After reading more about it, I would've kept my boys rear-facing longer but they would've wrecked havoc if I couldn't see them.”

Al turned, and started carefully placing Annelise into the seat. Gently, he started to buckle her in. Trying to be as careful as possible, as he didn't want to wake Annelise up. “Ed, well both of us really...” Al started, before clicking the buckle shut and popping back out of the car. “We haven't had the best experience with cars, so he's always been extremely anal about Annelise's car seat.”

Roy merely nodded, paying no mind to Al's comment about their bad luck with cars. It wasn't his business, and he knew what it was like when people pried far past the walls someone put up around their heart. “Well, I hope you have a good night despite your shitty day.” Roy said with a supportive smile. “If you need anything, feel free to call.”

Al, who looked so tired and worn down, managed a tepid smile. “Thank you, I hope you have a good night too.” He said in a quiet, tired tone. “Bye Roy.”

And Roy waited outside on the front porch until he saw that Al got into his care safely, and he watched until Al had pulled out and got down to the end of the street. Before going in to check on his boys and get them into bed, he let out a long, deep sigh that he had held in all day. Because despite his happy and carefree demure, Roy's day was _shit._ He didn't mind helping the Elrics, and he certainly didn't mind having Annelise over, but his emotions were jarred today. Because hospitals were hard, and even after five years memories of Riza and the pain he had endured were _hard._ Grief never really went away, it just became a dull wound, an old wound. Old pain that you learn to live with, like scar tissue and distant memories of war.

Things like this, seeing what Ed was going through, they brought up everything he had shoved far down. It made his throat tight, and it took him back to when the boys were just babies and Roy was incapacitated with grief. Pins and needles, Roy was shaky and he just had to get through bed time and then he would be all right.

But first, a phone call.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to let everyone know that this will be the last chapter uploaded for awhile, as I'm going to try to write out the whole story and upload it weekly like other authors do.


	7. Million Reasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can I put it down into words when it's almost too much for my soul alone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck, plain and simple, but thanks for sticking with me.

 Roy paced, paced quietly so the aged hardwood floor didn’t shriek and wake the boys. But paced enough so that the wood was warn in a way in which it remembered his footsteps. He waited, for the gentle tap on the door that he knew would be coming. Waited for the comfort of his best friend, who knew him better than he knew himself. Whose warm smile would comfort him, and soft words that would gently heal his battle worn heart.

When that soft rap at the door finally came, Roy was nearly on pins and needles. The day had rattled him hard, with him thoughts overflowing of the most wrecked months of his life. Where Maes was his light house in a storm, both after his tours in Iraq and when Riza battled her cancer.

Roy felt like sprinting to the door, but instead merely walked over and carefully opened the door. “Hey,” Roy said softly, “Thanks for coming…”

_‘I’m sorry’_ nearly flew off his lips, but Maes was already on top of it.

“No problem Roy,” Maes answered quickly as he stepped inside, a smile graced his lips. “I mean, what are friends for.”

A soft smiled tugged at Roys lips as he shut the door, “ A friend like you is far more than I deserve.” Roy said softly as he lead his friend inside.

———

Across town, Ed laid awake in bed. Alphonse told him he needed rest, but Edward couldn’t help but toss and turn. Besides, with Al checking on him every hour to make sure he didn’t lapse into a coma, it was difficult to sleep. His mind was running a thousand miles a minute, and he didn’t know how to make it stop.

Annelise was already asleep, so he didn’t have to worry about that. He was glad that Roy had taken care of her, while his dumb ass was trying to sleep off his concussion. It had been a long time since he had one, back to the second worse day in his life. Where his whole life changed before his eyes.

The day of the accident.

Where life changed the moment a red light turned green, and he had never felt so scared in his entire life.

Out of habit, Edward grabbed his left knee, feeling the cold touch of metal beneath the soft material of his soft sweatpants. Because being at the hospital, made him remember the night where he lost more than just his left leg.

The night he lost his Mother, the only parent he had ever known.

It had been a long time since he had felt the pain of losing his Mother, it was an old wound that he would always carry with him. Like the scars he carried with him from that day, but rarely did the pain ever consume him.

Slowly, he sat up, trying to ignore the slight dizziness he felt. He shifted towards the nightstand to pick up his cellphone. Unlocking the phone, he opened the messages app and started typing out a text.

_(903): Hey it’s Ed, are you busy?_

He slowly blinked, questioning if he had made the right decision. He could always call Al in, Al always knew the right things to say when it came to memories of their Mother. They could have a sleep over in Al’s room, and keep each other safe like they always had. But he felt his phone buzz, and he felt a smile play way to his lips.

_(824): Not too busy, do you need something?_

Edward smiled a little brighter, because he finally had another person he felt comfortable reaching out to.

_(903): Just needed to talk to somebody._

———

“Roy.”

Roy looked up from his phone, Hughes has a slightly concerned look on his face.

“You ok, buddy?” Hughes asked, his glasses gleaming in the light of the living room. “I swear I just watched five different emotions flash across your face.”

Roy smiled slightly, it was soft and didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m sorry, it was just a message I got left me feeling slightly..” He paused, thinking over his words very carefully, “..conflicted.”

Hughes smiled, “How can I help?” He asked, “I’m useless if I just sit here drinking wine, watching you tear yourself apart over a text.”

Roy sat in silence for a long time, thinking over his words and all the things he wanted to say but wasn’t quite ready yet. He thought on the days events, and how he loved knowing he helped Ed, but how he didn’t know how to help Ed in the way he wanted to. “It’s just..” He started softly, “How do I help someone whose hurting when I don’t know how?”

Hughes’s smile turned into a small grin, “You just talk to them,” Hughes stated so simply. “Being there for someone is more helpful than you know, sometimes actions are speak louder than words.” He paused for a minute, his smile fading somewhat. “I mean, didn’t you realize that back then?”

Roy paused, drifting back into the past. When his days were filled of nothing but a deep burning pain in his heart. It was like a boulder, sitting on his chest, so heavy that he couldn’t even breath. Maes was his lifeline, pulling him out of the darkness simply with his words and gentle promises. “Yes I do.” Roy said, in a voice very soft and timid, “But Hughes, I am not you, I don’t have the right words.”

Hughes let out a little snicker, “Roy, it’s not about the right words,” He stated, “It’s all about being there.” He paused, “Whatever text you’ve been looming over for the last ten minutes, send it, I’m sure it’s perfect.”

Roy’s cheeks became slightly pink, and his hands shook slightly as he pressed ‘send’.

_(824): Of course, what’s on your mind?_

———

Ed read, and reread the text over and over again. Trying to think of the right thing to type, he was never good at texting. Hell, he wasn’t even good with words half the time. He wasn’t use to letting anyone in his little bubble. All he had known for years was Al and Winry, and of course old lady Pinako. He didn’t have many friends, he didn’t have many people he could rely on. His Mother had died when he was six years old, and his Father had walked out on them we he was still toddling around in diapers.

He wasn’t good at reaching out for help, because for so long he had never been able to rely on anyone for help.

_(903): I’m not having a good night._

He sent that instead of saying _‘I feel like I’m dying’_ , instead of _‘I can’t do this, I can’t do this’_. He sent texts to Roy instead of crawling in his brothers bed and sobbing over things that happened close to two decades ago. He talked to a perfect stranger instead of curling up in the arms of the person who lived these moments with him, felt the same pain that he did.

Oh, but Al _didn’t_ understand. Al would never understand, because he doesn’t remember the accident. He doesn’t remember seeing their Mother’s face laying, bloodied and white against the steering wheel of the car. Or the way she laid lifeless, while Edward screamed for her to wake up. Because Al laid dead to the world for days, close to weeks, after the accident.

Al would never understand that pain, and Ed was so _glad_ that this pain was his alone to bear.

———

_(824): I’m an not having a good night either._

Roy looked at the text again, _‘No, no good.’_ , he thought before hitting the backspace button about a hundred times. It was not a good idea to tell Ed he wasn’t having a good night as well, he was turning to Roy for support not for Roy to create a fucking pity party.

_(824): Well I wouldn’t expect you were, you did smash your head on the edge of a table after all._

He slightly giggled at his own smarts comment, he could be such an ass sometimes. Hughes had left sometime in the last hour, saying that if Roy needed him that he could call him. Making sure to stress that it didn’t matter _what_ time it was, he would be there if Roy wanted him.

_(903): Don’t be a dick, it wasn’t like I meant to do that._

Roy snickered.

_(824): I know, I know. I’m sorry, how can I help you?_

———

Ed took in a deep breath as he read the text over and over, and over and over again. Resting his hand against the bed to support himself, because the last thing he needed was to fall off the bed and knock his brain around even more. Their were only a handful of people who had asked him how they could help him before, and the list was really only two people: his brother, and his late wife.

But here was Roy, someone who had only known for a short while, asking how he could help him. And all Ed wanted to do was cry.

_(903): Oh fuck, fuck don’t ask me shit like that because I will cry._

It was strange, how all his walls fell down when it came to Roy. He didn’t understand the feeling, but it took him back to a time so long ago. A time before Winry, when he was young and stupid. A time full of heartbreak, and tears, and dark thoughts. He hadn’t thought about that time in so long, but here those thoughts were creeping up on him.

_(824): But sometimes you need to cry, maybe it’ll make you feel better?_

Oh, oh this man was trying to make him cry. But in a way, the hurt felt good because it made Ed feel _alive_ for the first time in fifteen weeks.

———

“God, I am so fucking stupid.” Roy whispered to himself as he reread the text he sent Ed, before sitting his phone down on the table. “Maybe it will make you feel better, god I am fucking stupid.”

Roy pondered over how to make up for his stupid comment, what could he do to tell Ed he didn’t mean to make him cry. Picking his phone back up, he opened the messages section, his finger hovering over Ed’s contact info. But somehow, he accidentally hit the call button instead of the message button.

“Oh, shit!” Roy cursed, “didn’t mean to do that.” He mumbled, going to hit the ‘end call’ button. But before he could do that, he heard a tiny voice on the other end of the line.

_“Hello?”_

‘Is that Ed?’ Roy thought as he fumbled to lift his phone up to his ear, honestly surprised he answered at all. “Ed, I am so sorry.” Roy replied softly. “I didn’t mean to call you, I hit the wrong button.”

_“No, it’s okay…”_ The other line went quiet for a minute, _“I’m..glad you called.”_

Roy was _beaming_ , “Oh, really?” Roy said, his heart beating ten times faster. “Well, maybe it wasn’t such a bad mistake after all.”

He heard Ed chuckle slightly, which was such a beautiful sound - wait, _what_? Roy quickly shook that thought out of his mind, Ed reached out to him for comfort after all. _“I’ve, just got a lot going on in my mind and need someone to talk to so I don’t go crazy.”_ Ed said, his voice was softer than usual, and Roy could only guess it was due to events of the day and the fact that everyone in house was probably sleeping.

“Well, I promise I won’t let you go crazy on my watch.” Roy said, hiking the phone up to rest between his shoulder and his ear so that he could take a drink of his wine that he had let sit for probably far too long. “What’s on your mind?”

Silence from Ed’s end, and Roy could only assume Ed was struggling over what to talk about. _“I….I don’t really know where to start.”_ Ed paused, _“It’s a lot of shit, and some of it is old shit that shouldn’t still be bothering me.”_

“Just because something happened years ago doesn’t mean you get over it.” Roy answered honestly, “I was out in Iraq way over ten years ago now, do you think I’m over that yet?”

_“No, but that’s different.”_ Ed replied, _“War is traumatic, and you will always live with that but I shouldn’t be sitting here crying over a car accident that happened when I was six years old.”_

_‘Ah, that’s why he’s so worried over Annelise’s car seat.’_ Roy thought, thinking back to when he was putting the young girls car seat back in Al’s car earlier in the evening. “I’m sure it wasn’t any little car accident if you are still thinking about it all these years later, Ed.” Roy replied, “It’s okay, to have scars and still be hurting - no matter how long it’s been.”

Ed was silent again, and then Roy heard the sound of gentle sobs. “ _Oh_ , Edward.” Roy said in a soft tone, burying his face in his free hand. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

_“No, no it’s not you, Roy.”_ Edward said through soft sobs, _“ ‘m just fucked up, that’s all.”_

“That’s not true, you’ve just had a rough couple of months.” Roy said, “I know, I’ve been there, and it’s pure shit.” Roy paused for a moment, “And I’m so, _so_ sorry you’ve had to go through this.”

_“You,”_ Edward started through soft trembles in his voice, _“are seriously way too nice.”_

Roy smiled slightly, “Happy to help, even though I didn’t do much besides making you cry.” Roy replied, before taking a large drink of his Chardonnay. Because he needed some of his thoughts to disappear right now, so that he could feel sane. “But seriously, talk about whatever you need Ed, I promise I will listen.”

Silence from the other end, before he heard the sounds of Ed taking a deep breath. _“Where the hell do I even start?”_ Ed said with a soft, half hearted chuckle, _“Their was the car crash, I think that’s where the fucked up-ness starts.”_


	8. Delicate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...is it cool that I said all that?

  
“What happened - if you don’t mind me asking?” Roy started, trying to get the ball rolling on this conversation while he still had the chance.  
  
Ed was silent for what felt like forever, and Roy listened to the quiet, quick spurts of shuttering breaths from him. _“Someone ran a red light, T-Boned us.”_ Edward said in a hushed, pained tone. _“Tore the car apart like paper, Mom died instantly and I lost my left leg.”_

Roy gasped slightly, “I am so sorry Ed…” Roy said, his tone was soft and sincere. Because all he could do was remember what Al said to him earlier that night. _‘A drunk driver T-Boned her, she died instantly.’_ Al’s words rang in his ears, and he briefly wondered how Ed even trusted driving a car after both his wife and his Mother died in the same way. “That, is seriously awful.”

Silence drifted from the other end, _“Al was briefly in a coma too, he got hit really hard, so he…d-doesn’t even remember it.”_ Ed said in a soft, watery voice. _“It was shit, ‘specially since Hohenheim had already left us.”_

“Who’s Hohenheim?” Roy asked, having an idea who it was but not daring to guess and be wrong.

 _“Oh.”_ Ed started, and Roy could guess Ed was rolling his eyes. _“That’s my Dad’s name, ‘cept you will never here me call him that.”_ Ed paused for a minute, _“He left us when I was three and Al was two, we haven’t heard anything from him since then because he’s an asshole.”_

“What a bastard.” Roy replied, “Anything else you’d like to talk about?”

———

Edward let out a yawn, “Umm,” He started, “Why don’t you tell me about you? I’ve heard enough of me crying like a fuckin’ baby today.”

 _“If you’re tired you can go to sleep.”_ Roy said, his comforting voice seeping through the phone’s tiny speakers. _“I promise to stay on the phone until you fall asleep.”_

“Can’t,” Edward replied, twirling a strand of his bangs around his finger “concussion, remember?”

 _“Just because you have a concussion doesn’t mean you can’t sleep,”_ Roy stated, _“It just means someone has to be an asshole and wake you up every hour to make sure you don’t go brain dead or something.”_

“Al said it’s ‘cause he’s afraid I’ll lapse into a coma because this isn’t my first concussion.” Edward replied with ease, “I’ve had a few others before because it’s my goal to slip into a coma and go brain dead.” Edward finished, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

 _“Did you play a sport?”_ Roy asked, chuckling slightly. _“That’s like, the only way I could see someone getting ‘a couple’ concussions in their life when they aren’t even thirty yet.”_

Ed was quiet, because the answer was no, he had never played a sport in his life. The first concussion came with the car accident, the second and third happened because of… _him_. Of course, the fourth came today with his dumb ass passing out in a coffee house. “No, just have really shitty luck I guess.” Edward mumbled slightly, “But I’m tired of talkin’ about my shitty luck, tell me about you.”

Roy was quiet for a minute, because he wasn’t good at talking about himself. “Uhm, what do you want to know? I’m kind of boring.” Roy finished off with a slight chuckle.

Edward let out another yawn, rubbing one eye with the heel of his hand. Trying to ignore the way everything looked blurry, and the throbbing he felt in his head. Concussions fucking sucked, especially when his pain killers were starting to wear off. “I dunno, something fun, tired of hearin’ sad shit today.” Edward replied, slowly leaning back so that he fell back onto his pillow.

 _“Hmmm…”_ Roy hummed over the phone, _“How about I tell you the story of how I met my best friend Maes?”_

Ed smiled, “Sounds good to me.” He said in a soft voice, burrowing his head slightly into his pillow. “S’long as it’s not sad and shit, I’m good.”

 _“Well, it all started when he moved next door to me.”_ Roy started, his voice smooth and comforting. _“He was six, and I was five, and all he wanted to was be my best friend.”_

Roy could already hear Edward snoring on the other end of the phone.

———

The next morning, Edward stumbled into the kitchen at promptly six in the morning. “Coffee, coffee, coffee….” He kept murmuring to himself, trying to ignore the headache still pulsing near his temple. He felt like a zombie, and being sleep deprived was _not_ helping his concussion symptoms.

“Good morning, Brother.” Al said with a smile, he sat the kitchen table and was flipping through the news paper. “How did you sleep?”

Edward was digging through the cabinets trying to find the coffee tin and a mug, “Shut the fuck up.” He muttered, “You know damn well I barely slept thanks to _you_ waking me up _every fucking hour_.”

Al chuckled, knowing he was pushing his brothers buttons. “Is the fact that I already made coffee for you a good enough apology?” He asked, “Because it’s over there by the microwave.”

Edward blinked sleepily, “You are forgiven.” He said, slowly shutting the cabinet. “For now.”

Ed lazily dragged his feet towards the microwave, where the coffee pot was full of dark liquid that Edward viewed as an equivalent to liquid gold. Slowly, he dragged a mug out of the cabinet above the microwave, and poured himself a cup full. It was then when Alphonse shoved a carton of Almond Milk into his hands.

“Thanks…” Edward muttered softly.

“So who were you talking to so late last night?” Al asked with a slight smirk, “Because from my memory, you _hate_ talking on the phone.”

Edward blinked, before unscrewing the lid to the almond milk and nearly drowning the coffee with it. “Just Roy.” He answered, “He wanted to make sure I was okay.”

Al raised an eyebrow at his brother, “Well, you guys talked for quite a while.” Al said, eyeing the amount of almond milk Edward pouring into his coffee. “I think that’s enough almond milk, Brother.”

Edward set the carton down and sent Al a glare. “Don’t judge my life choices, Al.” Edward replied, grabbing a spoon to stir the two liquids together. “We just talked about stuff, that’s all.”

Al was quiet for a minute, his eyes drifting off to the side. He thought over his words, before his gaze drifted back to his brother. “I heard you crying.” Al said softly, he paused for another minute before continuing. “You know, you can always come to me Brother.”

Edward started to stir his coffee together, quietly musing over Al’s words. “I know that.” Edward answered, his voice soft as his eyes drifted to his feet. “But sometimes I just… don’t want to burden you with my problems.”  
  
“Oh, Brother.” Al sighed, taking a few steps towards Edward and wrapping his arm around him. “You are _not_ a burden, and I’ve been telling you that for years.”

“I know, Al.” Edward said, letting his head fall onto Al’s shoulder. “But it’s hard to not feel like one.”

Al shook his head, “Why don’t you go sit down and drink your coffee, while I work on breakfast for everyone.”

Edward nodded, starting to walking towards the table with his coffee. “What time do we have to get the kiddo up?” Edward asked as he slowly sat his mug on the table, before sitting down.

“Well, seeing how it’s Saturday she can sleep for however long she wants.” Al replied, “But we do have some errands to run today, do you think you’re up for it?”

———

Saturdays for Roy meant getting up unbelievably early for his day off, crappy Saturday morning cartoons, and caring for one extra kid that wasn’t his own. Elysia got dropped off every Saturday, and Roy would watch her until late in afternoon so that Maes and Gracia could both work half-days. It also meant carting her and the boys to their activities, for Elysia that meant dance and for his boys that meant soccer practice.

The kids sat in the living room, watching the shitty cartoons on TV while Roy prepared breakfast. Roy was working on making some waffles with eggs, so that the kids would stay full while they were at their sports. He helped the Hughes’s out because they were so helpful to him when Lucas and Roman were babies, and Elysia was Roy’s God daughter. Maes had been his best friend since Roy was five years old, watching Elysia was very little to him after all the things Maes had helped him with.

“Breakfast will be ready in ten, kids!” Roy called out from kitchen, “And after breakfast, I need you three to get ready for practice!”

———  
  
“So, you have two options here Brother.” Al started as he sat the table for breakfast, “You can either go with me to the grocery store, or stay with Annelise at her dance lesson.”

Edward gave Al a blank look, “Annelise is in dance?” He asked, just how _much_ of her life had he missed in fifteen weeks?

Al nodded, “Yes, she is.” He replied, “She has two to three lessons a week, and has been going to them since you guys moved in with me.”

Edward felt his face fall in his hands, “I am such a _shitty_ parent.” Edward moaned, “I’ve been missing out on _so much_ of her life and didn’t even _realize it_.”

Al let out another sigh, “It’s fine Edward, you had to grieve and no one is judging you for doing that.” Al replied, walking over and resting a hand on his brothers shoulder. “I didn’t tell you about it either, so how would you have known?”

“I’m going with her to dance.” Edward replied with a slight bite to his tone, “Only missed out on watching her for two months, and seeing her dance is far more interesting than buying produce with you.”

Al chuckled, removing his hand from Ed’s shoulder and returning back to setting the table. “Sounds good to me, I’m never able to stay and watch so she’ll be excited that you’re there.”

It was then that they heard the sound of tiny footsteps padding along the hardwood floor, and a mop of white blonde hair came into view. “Mmhm, Daddy…” The little girl whined, her voice laced with sleep.

“Good morning, baby.” Edward said, quickly wiping away any distress from his face and putting on his biggest smile. Because Annelise would always, always take away any pain he had. “Come here, Daddy wants a hug.”

Annelise smiled, before running up into her Father’s arms. “Good morning, Daddy.” she said softly, giving her Dad a small kiss on the cheek.

“Guess what, baby.” Edward said, his voice soft but filled to the brim with joy. “Daddy’s got a surprise for you.”

“What Daddy?” Annelise asked, her eyes wide with curiosity and innocence.

Ed smiled wide, because he would never get tired of seeing her sweet little face. He gently took a hand to her cheek, still slightly chubby with baby fat. She was starting to look like a big girl now, at four she was starting to loose what little baby fat she had. “Daddy’s going to be coming with you to dance class today.” Edward said, beaming slightly. “I’m going to watch you dance today!”

A wide smile grew on Annelise’s face, and she let out a slight sequel. “I’m going to wear my best leotard today!” She said excitedly, she was positively beaming with excitement.

———

“Daddy!” Annelise called after breakfast, tip toeing through the hallway looking for her Father. “Daaaaaddy!”

“What, baby?” Edward called, he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, they had to leave for dance in thirty minutes. Edward could feel his hand shaking slightly, because for some reason going to dance lessons fucking scared him and he wasn’t quite sure why.

Annelise’s petite form appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, she was dressed with white tights and was wearing a baby blue colored leotard. She looked like an angel, with her soft blond hair hanging down her shoulders. In her hands she held two hair ties, and a white bow to match. “Uhm,” She mumbled, her bright - beautiful - blue eyes drifted towards her feet. “P-Please, do my hair for dance, Daddy?”

Dropping the tooth brush, Edward beamed, “Of course, sweetie.” Edward replied, “Come sit up on the counter and Daddy’ll do it for you.”

Annelise nodded, walking into the bathroom and she let Edward lift her up on to the countertop. “What hairdo are we doing for dance, baby?” Edward asked, grabbing a brush and he started to tackle her wild bed hair. Annelise was playing with the hair bands, “A bun that’s way up high on my head.” Annelise replied, “With this bow.” She added, pointing to the shimmery white bow in her hand.

“Of course!” Edward replied, as he started the gather hair up into the high pony tail that would turn into a bun.

Annelise’s gaze stayed to that of marble countertop, her hands twiddling with the sparkly hair bow that Uncle Al had got her a few nights ago. “Daddy.”, Annelise said softly.

“Yes, sweetie?” Edward asked, looping the hair tie around Annelise’s ponytail a few times.

“You should braid your hair today.” Annelise replied, “Like you used to do.”

“You think so?” Edward asked, a small smile playing way to his lips as he started to gather Annelise’s hair up into a bun. Annelise nodded as he did so, “Mommy used to like when I wore my hair in a braid..”

“I can braid your hair!” Annelise said excitedly, she grabbed the hair elastic that sat on the counter, “I have a hair elast-y an’ everything!”

Wrapping the other hair elastic around Annelise’s small bun, Edward smiled at his handiwork. “Here, give me the bow.” Edward started, gesturing towards the sparkly bow Annelise held. “And who taught you how to braid?”

Annelise handed Edward the bow with a smile, “Mommy did!” She replied.

Edward paused for a moment, and flashbacks of Winry doing Annelise’s hair danced across his memories. “Of course she did.” Edward replied, sliding the hair bow into place on Annelise’s bun. “All done, sweetie.”

Annelise turned to look in the mirror, and she beaned at her Father’s work. “Now can I braid your hair, Daddy?” Annelise asked, looking towards her Father with puppy dog eyes.

Edward could never say no to his sweet angel, “Of course you can, baby.”

“Yay!” Annelise announced, “Now you’re going to sit on the stool so I can reach you.”

And Edward obliged, sitting on tiny stool that Annelise used to reach the sink. Annelise plopped down from the counter and she started to brush Edward’s golden locks. All the while babbling on about how her Mother taught her to braid and why.

And Alphonse stood in the hallway, watching the beautiful scene before him.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this last spring after reading an 'Imagine your OTP' post. It stated, 'imagine your OTP as single parents- one a parent of two twin boys and the other raising a young daughter, meeting in the school parking lot while waiting for their children.'


End file.
